Nurses
by Kooshball
Summary: Alex Dustin is back at the 4077th a third time. What kind of trouble will she get into THIS time? Formally Eyes of a Nurse. FINAL CHAPTER IS UP!
1. OR

'So what's the scoop on this lot?' Potter asked.

'MASH unit a few miles up was bombed. Lots of casualties, not enough supplies there to treat them, so we got them,' the corpsman replied, leaving the stretcher on the OR table. Colonel Potter sighed.

'How much longer is this dang war going to keep going?' he said loudly to himself.

'It could be worse,' one of the white clad surgeons offered. 'We could have been the target.'

'Put a sock in it, Charles,' BJ said, wondering how the person in front of him had even made the trip; there was a lot of blood loss.

'Those poor people,' Lieutenant Jefferson said. Jefferson was new to the outfit, barely there a week, and already had Major Houlihan nagging her to keep her mind on the patients insides, instead of how they got there. She was a tall, dark haired nurse, with blue eyes, and someday hoped she might become a female doctor, like a few other women she had heard about. Jefferson was helping Charles with his patient, a nurse stained with blood. The patient's left shoulder had been ripped open by something, and it needed sewing up. Her clothes were marked with thick red blood, and it made her hair stick together in knotted clumps. At first, Jefferson had thought that the injured nurse's hair had been streaked with blood, making it seem red, but on closer inspection, realised that it was her natural hair colour. There was a long pale scar down her left cheek, and a bulge under her right eyelid. The dogtags around her neck were rusted with blood, looking years old. Jefferson didn't even have time to read the name before Charles had finished and ordered her to be taken away.

* * *

'Any trouble?' Colonel Potter asked Charles in Post op.

'I'm a little worried by the woman in bed three. She should have woken up by now,' Charles replied. He led the Colonel to a bed, where a thin woman lay, blood and hair giving her face a red frame. Colonel Potter breathed in sharply, then turned to Jefferson, who was also on duty.

'Go get Captain Hunnicutt,' he ordered. 'Now!' Nurse Jefferson ran out of the Post op as quickly as she could, wondering why BJ would be so interested in the nurse she had assisted Charles with.

'What's wrong? One of my patients?' BJ asked, hurrying into Post op a few minutes later, tying the sash to his robe tightly as he walked. Jefferson was behind him, trying to get a second look at the red haired nurse again.

'No, one of Winchester's,' Potter replied, pointing to cot three. BJ went to the end of the bed, glanced at the nurse and picked up her chart. He dropped the chart onto the floor as if it had bitten him. He then moved toward the nurse and checked her dogtags.

'What is the fascination with her? She is just another nurse,' Charles said, obviously annoyed at being out of the loop.

'Just another nurse?' BJ stood up to his full height again, and looked around as if to see if anyone else was as appalled as he was. 'Look, Charles, that nurse was one of the best that this outfit has ever seen.'

'Calm down, son,' Potter said, before glancing at the woman again. 'I think we should call Hawkeye, and tell him Alex is back at the 4077th.'

**Kooshball**: Yes, "Alex" is now a trilogy! Sorry it's such a short chapter. Watch this space for more of Alex!


	2. Home

**Kooshball: **No-one likes me any more, obviously, or you're all too busy watching the Olympics. Either way, I'll post another chapter of this, and hope _someone_reviews.

Jefferson sat down beside the nurse, and carefully picked up her dogtags. They told Jefferson that the woman in front of her was Alexia Dustin, a qualified nurse from the States. By the Colonel's and BJ's reaction to her, she must have been here before, though not necessarily as a patient. As well as the large tear in her shoulder, Alex had suffered a sprained ankle, and large gash in her right leg that had lost a lot of her blood. In all reality, it was lucky she was alive at all. Gently, she pulled back a stand of bloody hair away from the sleeping nurse's face, wondering if there was meant to be such a large lump on her right eyelid. Maybe it had always been like that, maybe it was just swollen from being hit. Jefferson would ask Major Winchester to take a look at it later.

**

* * *

**

Alex woke up eventually, sometime during the night. Her right leg hurt, her left ankle throbbed, her left shoulder ached, and her right eye wouldn't open without pain. Looking around, it was obvious that she was in a MASH unit, she just didn't know where. When she tried to sit up, her left shoulder began throbbing like mad. Moving the tear in her bloodstained jacket and shirt, Alex saw she had been sliced open by something, and then operated on. She recognised the stitching, her unit was the one that did all the fine tuning the closer outfits didn't have time to do. She traced the stitches on her shoulder lightly, her skin tingling with pain. She hoisted her sleeve back up so the stitches weren't too noticeable, then called out.

'Hello? Where am I?' she called out. Movement from the other end, and a tall, proud looking man walked toward her.

'You're awake,' he said. His voice had a snotty air to it, and by the way his clothes were pressed, Alex could tell he was of high class society. No-one else she had met in Korea had their clothes pressed unless they were used to it already.

'Yeah, I'm in pain, but I'm awake,' Alex replied. 'Who operated on me, they did a good job.'

'I did,' the man replied, making himself straighter.

'I recognised your work, and I've seen some of the other guys you've patched up. You'll put a lot of people out of work if you keep on operating the way you do,' Alex said. The man didn't appear to know whether to take her comment as a compliment or not.

'Thank you,' he said finally.

'So what's the damage to my shoulder?' Alex asked, moving her arm slightly.

'It was deep, torn tissue, maybe infected. You'll be up again in two weeks,' the man replied.

'I'm Lieutenant Dustin, but Alex is just fine,' Alex told the man.

'I know,' he said. 'I'm Major Charles Winchester.' Alex grinned at him, but he didn't return the smile. It almost seemed as if he was wary of her.

'So, where are we?' Alex asked.

'The 4077th,' Charles replied. Alex's heart jumped in her chest.

'The 4077th?' she asked faintly. Charles nodded at her, probably wondering if she were deaf.

'Why? Is there a problem?' he asked.

'No problem,' Alex said. She paused for a second before looking up again. 'Is Hawkeye here? Captain Pierce?'

'Pierce isn't here,' Charles said. Alex looked at Charles to see if he were joking. Hawkeye couldn't be gone, dead or gone home. He would have tried to contact her...

'Pierce is on R and R in Tokyo,' Charles finished. Alex let out a shaky breath.

'When will he be back?' she asked.

'Another three days, but the Colonel of this outfit is trying to track him down to tell him you're here, I don't know why,' Charles said before walking off. If the Colonel knew Hawkeye would want to see Alex, the 4077th must still be being run by Colonel Potter, Alex decided. A nurse came into the Post op, and Alex waved her over.

'Is Captain Hunnicutt around any where?' she asked the nurse. 'But don't bother him if he's just come off a shift or anything.' The dark haired nurse nodded, and left. About ten minutes later, a tall man walked into the tent, followed by the nurse.

'Alex!' BJ said, moving quickly to the side of her bed.

'BJ? I almost didn't recognise you with that dead caterpillar under your nose,' Alex said. BJ looked a little annoyed, and Alex laughed. 'I'm kidding, you look great,' she said. 'Just shave the damn thing off.' BJ laughed.

'How long has it been?' he asked. 'A year?'

'Fourteen months I think,' Alex replied. 'I'd get up and hug you, but I kinda hurt all over.'

'Did you want a pain killer or something?' BJ asked.

'I'll be ok,' Alex replied. She grinned up at BJ. 'It's a good feeling, being back. For such a little hell hole, it was pretty fun.' BJ grinned as well.

'It's good to have you back,' he said.


	3. Operation

**Kooshball:** Because I won't be here for a week (I'm going to that snow!) I'll update now.

And a short note to MovieQueen17, Alex has had 2 fics before this, "Alex" and "Old Friends" (A.k.a. "Alex 2"). Alex is a character of my own invention, but it's up to you if you read the first parts. They are fairly long, so hopefully you've got the time to do so!

* * *

Alex was asleep when Hawkeye arrived the next morning. He stumbled into the Post op loudly, as if expecting her to have disappeared. As far as Jefferson could tell, Hawkeye was expecting it to just be some sick joke to make him get back to camp to help with the wounded. Jefferson found she liked being on duty more often now, to keep an eye on Alex. The nurse interested her, and it had made the camp very lively and talkative. According to the rumours, Hawkeye had dated Alex while she was in camp, a girl after his own heart. She enjoyed gambling and drinking, though didn't try to seduce every male she met. Jefferson didn't think she would have to try hard if she wanted though, the scar made her look mysterious, and Alex was also a very likable person.

'Alex,' Hawkeye yelled, seeing her in the bed, and he almost tripped up on his own feet trying to get to her. Alex jumped awake and opened her left eye. Her right one still seemed swollen, and she had mentioned to Charles that it hurt.

'Hawkeye, I thought you were on R and R, you weren't back for a couple more days, unless I slept for longer than I thought,' Alex said.

'They told me you were back,' Hawkeye said, looking Alex over. 'But not like this.'

'Just a few two inch deep scratches,' Alex smiled. Hawkeye took a swift look at Alex's shoulder and leg, then realised her eye was closed.

'What's wrong with your eye?' he asked.

'Hurts when I try to open in. I've tried telling that Major, he operated on me, but he hasn't done anything yet,' Alex explained.

'I'll take a look at it in a while. But for now, tell me what you've been up to,' Hawkeye said, grinning and suddenly looking a little less worried and more like his old self.

* * *

Jefferson saw the x-rays of Alex's eye spread on the desk in the Post op. Her eye had been struck with shrapnel and she needed to be operated on. A specialist was being brought to camp in a day or so, but odds were she'd never be able to see out that eye again. Jefferson felt sorry for the woman. She'd never have been able to cope with losing her sight in one eye, and yet, Alex seemed calm about it, not even nervous.

'Ah, excuse me?' Alex was waving Jefferson over.

'Yes, Lieutenant?' Jefferson asked.

'I... I want a pen and some paper, to write a letter to my sister,' Alex said.

'I'll get some right away, Lieutenant,' Jefferson nodded. Alex nodded in reply, and stared quietly at the foot of her bed. Jefferson got paper and a pencil from the left hand top draw, where all paper was kept for people who were in the Post op. She handed them to Alex, who smiled thanks. She gripped the pencil in her left hand, and then dropped it in pain.

'Forgot I won't be able to write for a little while,' Alex said. 'It's typical that it would be my left arm that was hurt so I wouldn't be able to write my sister.'

'You're left handed?' Jefferson asked. Alex nodded. Jefferson was left handed herself, though she didn't mention it at that time. 'Would you like to dictate it to me and I'll write it?' Jefferson asked. Alex looked up.

'That's be good,' she agreed. Jefferson took up the paper and pencil, and sat on the next bunk.

'"Dear Dani, sorry it's been a while since I last wrote you",' Alex paused as Jefferson began writing. '"But I was injured a week or so and had to go to hospital. You won't believe me when I tell you I'm at the 4077th, but I am. Hawkeye and BJ are still here, and doing well, as is Colonel Potter. I busted my left arm, my left ankle and right leg, so I won't be moving for a little while. Because of my shoulder, I am having a nurse write this for me.".' Alex looked up.

'Keep going,' Jefferson said when she finished writing.

'"That's not all, Dani. Apparently, I have shrapnel or something in my right eye, and need to be operated on. I might not be able to see through that eye after the operation, but other than that there is minimal risk. However, there's a high chance of infection here, and if... if I don't make it...",' Alex paused for a while to calm herself down. "If I don't make it, Hawkeye and BJ will write you to tell you.".'

'Is that all?' Jefferson asked. Alex nodded. 'I'll post it right away.' Jefferson walked away, realizing Alex may not be as brave as she first thought.

* * *

Alex woke in pain a few hours after the operation. Her right eye had been covered with cotton and a bandage to prevent her using it or causing it more damage, but hurt more than it had before. Sleep blurred the vision in her good eye, but she was too tired to be bothered rubbing it out. Someone walked past her cot, but paused when they noticed her.

'Take a photo, it lasts longer,' Alex snapped at them. She wasn't in the mood to have people stare at her today.

'Alex!' the person at the foot of her bed cheered.

'Klinger?' Alex asked, and she rubbed the tiredness from her left eye, suddenly filed with energy. In front of her was a stunned looking dark haired man, wearing uniform with Sargent stripes on the sleeves.

'I knew you had come through here, but people kept telling me you'd been moved out already, otherwise I'd have come seen you ages ago!' Klinger exclaimed.

'If someone had told me you still hadn't got your section eight, I would have made someone get you!' Alex said.

'I'm way past the section eight. After Radar left, I became company clerk, and got promoted, see?' Klinger pointed to his stripes.

'Wow, I'm glad for you,' Alex said. 'Wait, Radar left?'

'Yeah, his Uncle died or something and he went home on a section DA7,' Klinger explained.

'Poor Radar. How's the little guy doing?' Alex asked.

'He's doing fine, last I heard. Had the farm running real smooth, with only a few minor hiccups,' Klinger said, sitting on the foot of her bed. 'So how'd you get hurt?'

'The usual. Risking my life for some idiot,' Alex laughed. 'What about you? So much has happened since I was here, obviously. Radar gone, you got a new job and promoted...'

'Major Houlihan married and divorced, Major Burns sent state-side,' Klinger added.

'Margaret got married? To Frank?' Alex asked. Klinger shook his head.

'Some Colonel. You'd be better asking her about it,' Klinger shrugged.

'I will,' Alex promised.

'I better go. I was meant to tell Major Winchester he has a phone call, and it ain't gonna wait all day,' Klinger said, getting up and starting to walk off.

'Hold on a minute,' Alex called. Klinger stopped. 'Spin around,' Alex commanded. Klinger did so, and faced Alex with a puzzled look. 'First time I've seen you in a uniform. I'll miss the dresses, but you look good. Scrub up well,' Alex said. Klinger laughed, and walked out.


	4. Spy

**Kooshball:** Well, my computer is dying, so don't be surprised if this is the last chapter you see for a little while. Hopefully my computer will be back soon!

* * *

'Come on, slowly, slowly...' Hawkeye and BJ were helping Alex into a wheelchair.

'What are you doing with my patient?' Charles demanded.

'Taking her for a walk,' BJ replied.

'I forbid you to move her!' Charles said.

'Come on, Charlie, just a little drive around camp? I'll be back in an hour or so,' Alex pleaded. Charles looked annoyed at being called "Charlie", but even his steely glare couldn't stop Hawkeye and BJ wheel Alex out of the post op.

'Jefferson,' Charles barked. The nurse looked up from reading to one of the sick men.

'Yes, sir?' she asked.

'Follow the two Captains to make sure Lieutenant Dustin isn't hurt,' Charles said.

'Right away, sir,' Jefferson said before apologizing to the solider in bed. She walked quickly to the door and looked around for Hawkeye and BJ with Alex. She didn't know if it was because Charles wanted to make sure his patient was ok, or if he had grown attached to Alex like the rest of the camp, or even a little of both that had made him order Jefferson to follow Alex. She spotted them going into the Mess tent, Alex heartily greeting Father Mulcahy. She followed them in, and sat at the table next to them, so she could hear and see what they were saying.

'It's been a long time, Alex,' Father Mulcahy said. 'How is your sister and your mother?'

'Dani is doing great. Took on a secretary job at a factory and seems to like it well enough. Mom is still worried about me being in Korea, but what can you do?' Alex replied.

'That's very good,' Father Mulcahy said as Hawkeye and BJ sat down again, with a tray of food for the three of them.

'How's your eye?' Hawkeye asked.

'Sore, though not as much as the rest of me,' Alex replied. 'When can I take the bandage off?'

'Not for a while. There was some pretty bad damage, but Captain Anderson is a good doctor and an old pal of mine. He said you might even still be able to see,' BJ replied. Alex nodded, not being as optimistic.

'So much has changed since I was here,' she said. 'Radar and Frank have gone home, Klinger has stopped wearing his dresses. That new doctor, Major Winchester, what's his story?'

'Charles came from Boston, and was a private doctor for a General. He was sent here permanently, and been complaining loudly ever since,' Hawkeye said.

'He's quite a good doctor, though,' Father Mulcahy interrupted.

'He did a great job on my arm,' Alex added. 'He doesn't seem too bad. I mean, he's gotta be easier than Frank?' BJ and Hawkeye glanced at each other.

'We could have picked a better tent mate,' Hawkeye said.

'What have you been doing in the last year? You said you'd write, but you didn't,' BJ said.

'I wrote once!' Alex exclaimed.

'Once,' BJ said.

'Not much to tell, really. Went to the proper hospital, had the heck blown outta me and wound up here,' Alex said.

'How did you cut yourself?' Hawkeye asked, reaching a hand out as if to touch her shoulder lightly. Alex moved out of his range uncomfortably.

'Falling piece of tin cut my shoulder, I think. Cut me clean open,' she said. 'And a rafter fell on my leg. The sprain was from running over to the building before, and it hurt like crazy until I was knocked out. I faired better than the nurse to my right. She died almost instantly.' Jefferson shivered at her table. She hated hearing other's near death experiences.

'I haven't seen Margaret yet, you know. I'm always asleep when she's on shift,' Alex said suddenly, changing the subject.

'You want to see Margaret?' Hawkeye and BJ said in surprise at the same time.

'I've been told she's changed,' Alex said.

'Well, she did want to see Alex,' Hawkeye said slowly to BJ.

'Come on, then,' BJ said, standing up and positioning himself behind Alex's wheelchair. 'We'll go find Margaret.' Jefferson also stood up and followed them, a few metres behind. It was half way across the compound when Hawkeye noticed her, and laughed. He whispered something to BJ and Alex.

'Well, he has every right to have someone follow me, if I'm with you two,' Alex said.

'Come on, Jefferson, catch up,' BJ yelled to the nurse. Blushing, Jefferson jogged toward the group and strolled beside the wheelchair.

'How did you know I was following you?' she asked.

'You came into the mess tent with us, but you didn't eat anything there,' Hawkeye said. 'Not that you'd want to, anyway. Then you followed us out and headed in the same direction.'

'How did you know it wasn't just coincidence?' Jefferson asked.

'You were also on duty in Post op and weren't due off for another two hours,' BJ grinned.

'It's ok, if I had a patient taken out of Post op by these two, I'd have someone follow them too,' Alex smiled up at Jefferson. Jefferson blushed again and stayed quiet while the other three chatted.

'So what's Dani been up to? Is she still chasing men?' Hawkeye asked. Alex nodded.

'Has her eye on a co-worker at the moment. He seems nice, has taken her out once or twice,' she said. They reached Major Houlihan's tent, and Hawkeye gave Frank's old "secret" knock. The door was flung open by Margaret, her hair in curlers and glaring.

'Who is it?' she demanded.

'Major Houlihan,' Alex saluted promptly as well as she could.

'Alex!' Margaret cheered up instantly.

'I haven't had a chance to see you since I arrived, and I thought, since Hawkeye and BJ are wheeling me around, now would be a good a time as any,' Alex explained.

'I'll look after her, Captains,' Margaret said, moving behind the wheelchair and pushing into her tent.

'Better let Jefferson go in with you. Charles will make living hell for her if you don't,' BJ said.

'For some strange reason, he didn't trust us with his patient,' Hawkeye said, grinning. Alex laughed, and Margaret nodded.

'Fine, come in, Jefferson,' she said.

'See you guys next shift,' Alex called through the closing door.

'Now,' Margaret said excitedly, sitting on her cot. 'What have you been up to?'


	5. History

During the next hour, Jefferson found out Alex had saved the Major's life, gone AWOL more than once, had a dead brother buried in Korea and her sister had been sent home on a false discharge.

'Why do you stay in the war? You've been offered discharges so many times,' Margaret asked. Alex glanced around, as if someone would hear.

'When I first came to Korea, I was conscripted, before I had even finished nursing school, so I came to Korea as a rookie. I learnt more at that unit than I could have in any hospital. When our unit was attacked and I was offered a discharge, like the rest of the survivors, I said no, because Isaac was still in Korea. He'd been sent over a couple of weeks after me, and we promised each other we wouldn't accept a discharge if the other was still here, unless it was from a real bad injury that we had to come home for.

'You know I then came here to the 4077th, and after a month or so, I was offered a discharge after my brother died. I said no, but changed my mind and went home.

'When Dani, my sister, signed up, I signed up with her, to keep an eye on her I suppose. After she went back to the states, I didn't have to stay, I guess,' Alex paused a smiled. 'I suppose I stayed after that because I like to finish what I start. Most of the time, anyway.'

'What are you going to do when that patch comes off your eye?' Jefferson asked.

'I dunno. If I don't have to go home because of it, maybe I'll put in a requisition form to come back here,' Alex shrugged.

'Here?' Margaret and Jefferson asked in surprise.

'Yeah, it's a good unit. Not too big, not too small, activities, a bar, an officers club and a Still. A drinking woman's dream,' Alex joked. Margaret gave a soft laugh, but the dark haired lieutenant didn't say anything. Jefferson didn't drink much as a rule, but obviously Alex liked to.

'Did you miss Hawkeye when you were at that other unit?' Margaret asked. Alex looked at her, undecided whether she should answer or not.

'I missed him as much as I missed BJ, and everyone else here,' she replied cautiously.

'I thought you and Hawkeye were seeing each other before you got transferred,' Jefferson interrupted, knowing she was on dangerous ground.

'Who told you?' Alex asked.

'It's common knowledge around camp,' Jefferson answered. Alex studied Jefferson to see if she thought she could trust her.

'I did miss Hawkeye, but I figured the moment I was gone, he'd be chasing other nurses, so I tried not to miss him more than I missed everyone else,' Alex said to both Margaret and Jefferson. Both nodded. Margaret knew Hawkeye, and Jefferson knew what Hawkeye was like, even though she'd only been there a few weeks.

'What about you? What's your history?' Alex asked.

'Me?' Jefferson asked in surprise.

'No, I mean the cot,' Alex said in a sarcastic voice. 'This your first unit?'

'Yes,' Jefferson admitted.

'Crazy lot, aren't they? If you get transferred, and trust me, you probably will be, everything will seem boring compared to here,' Alex grinned. Margaret punched Alex lightly on her uninjured arm, and Jefferson smiled back at Alex. Alex was outgoing, nicer to her than the other nurses and had an interesting life. She couldn't help but enjoy herself around Alex.

'That Winchester doctor, he's good. I wouldn't let him go if I were the Colonel,' Alex said to Margaret.

'He's quiet good, but very annoying at times,' Margaret said. Alex nodded. From Hawkeye and BJ's complaining, he drove the two up the wall.

'Major Winchester will be looking for you if you aren't back soon,' Jefferson said hurriedly. Alex looked up.

'I suppose he will. Can you wheel me back to the post op?' she asked. Margaret held the door open for them

'See you around, Margaret,' Alex called over her shoulder as Jefferson wheeled her across the muddy compound.

'Lieutenants,' Margaret replied, going back into her tent.

'How sweet, she's going to pretend she doesn't like me,' Alex grinned. Jefferson didn't reply, but took her back to the post op for rest.

**Kooshball:** Wow, what a badly written chapter! I was in a hurry and this needed to be rewritten to make sense. A little bit more of Alex's history, for both people who know her and people who don't.

Can anyone tell me any affects of being blind? (Yes, that gives away the story line, but what are you going to do?)


	6. Sight

Captain Anderson, the eye surgeon, came back to the 4077th a few days later, to take the bandage off of Alex's eye, and to see if it had healed properly. Nurse Jefferson had to trade six other nurses all sorts of things to make sure she was on duty when the bandage came off. Hawkeye, BJ, Colonel Potter, Charles, Margaret and Klinger were all there too, to see if Alex was alright. Hawkeye and BJ had found out Alex wanted to stay there if she wasn't totally blind in her right eye, so a lot was riding on the well being of her sight.

'OK, let's have a look,' Captain Anderson said, carefully peeling the bandage off. He pulled the cotton away from Alex's eye, and she rubbed the eye gently.

'Been waiting for days to do that,' she said with a grin before opening her right eye. Jefferson couldn't help but gasp when she saw it. The iris of the eye was paler than the left one, though she didn't know if it was permanent or from not being used. The eye looked scratched across the iris and pupil, which had turned gray. The Captain seemed undisturbed by Alex's eye.

'Looks a little damaged, can you see anything?' he asked. Alex closed her good eye.

'I can see a bit, but everything is slightly duller,' she said nervously.

'Follow my hand,' Captain Anderson said, moving his hand slowly from left to right. Alex's eye followed it, and he put it down. 'Well, you've got about fifty percent vision in your right eye. That's always better than fully blind. What's it like with both eyes?' he asked.

'It's alright, like I have hair in front of my right eye,' Alex replied. Captain Anderson made Alex do a few things like write a few lines on a piece of paper and pick up pens before standing up.

'Well, I reckon she'll be like that permanently, but it's better than I thought it would be,' he said to BJ and Colonel Potter. 'It's up to you guys if you send her home or not.'

'Thanks, Jake,' BJ said. 'If you want to grab something to eat before you go, the Mess tent is just across the compound.' Captain Anderson nodded and walked out.

'We can't have a blind nurse here,' Charles started arguing before the door had even swung shut behind the Captain.

'She's not blind, and Alex is as much a part of the 4077th as anyone else, she should stay,' Klinger said.

'It's dangerous here, and with Alex is half blind, she might get hurt,' Hawkeye said, surprising Jefferson.

'I think Alex is a bit smarter than that to go wandering into a mine field, Hawk,' BJ replied.

'Lieutenant Dustin should be sent home immediately,' Margaret snapped.

'Quiet,' Colonel Potter ordered as the group began bickering. 'Last time I checked, I was in command here, so it really boils down to my decision.' Everyone was quiet, more than one person sulking.

'So what are you going to do with me?' Alex asked.

'Keep you here,' Colonel Potter said, making the others stare at him in surprise.

'Yahoo!' BJ cheered and Alex grinned.

'Why? She's useless as a nurse,' Charles pointed out.

'I'm not useless,' Alex said, her faded eye thoroughly creeping the higher ranking surgeon out. 'I can see, can't I? I can still assist, be on Post op duty, take care of patients. It'll be like I never lost part of my sight.'

'I've heard lots of things about Alex,' Colonel Potter started slowly. 'She's turned down many discharges, and somehow I think she'd turn this one down as well. So unless you really want to go home, Alex, I'll sign your transfer papers to stay here today.'

'I'm happy to stay here, at the 4077th,' Alex said. Colonel Potter nodded, and headed back to his office. Klinger followed him, turning towards Alex to shoot her grins every few steps. Hawkeye slouched off out the other door behind Margaret, who was talking loudly to Charles exactly why Alex should have gone home.

'BJ?' Jefferson stopped the tall doctor as he walked past her. 'Why did Hawkeye want Alex to go home? I though he'd want her here with him?'

'He does, but he also doesn't want her hurt. She can't die if she's in the states,' BJ explained. Jefferson nodded as BJ went to the desk to retrieve something, and pretended to do something to one of the patients beds as he came back.

'What's this?' Alex asked, laughing.

'Celebration drink,' BJ grinned. There was a martini glass and tin mug from the mess tent in one hand, and a bottle of clear liquid in the other.

'I've missed you,' Alex told the bottle. BJ just laughed and poured her a drink into the mug. Jefferson knew it was gin from the Still, and was almost curious to taste what it was like.

'To the successful operation on your eye, may it one day be properly healed,' BJ said, holding up his glass.

'To the 4077th, my home away from home,' Alex held her mug up in turn and they clinked them gently. Alex sipped her drink carefully before grinning up at BJ. 'Thanks for sticking up for me,' she said. 'Hawkeye's always trying to tell people what I can and can't do.'

'How so?' BJ asked in surprise.

'Once, I offered to go hostage so he and the others could operate safely on some wounded soldiers, and he didn't want me to go.' Alex stared straight ahead, remembering the fear.

'I never knew that,' BJ said.

'Hawkeye probably never wanted to tell you about it. He told you about the sniper, and how I saved Trapper, Margaret and Klinger, right? He never explained the rest of what happened. Anyway, it was just a few hours after Klinger was shot in the arm by the sniper,' Alex replied. BJ nodded. Jefferson moved away more. Now that the excitement was over, she wasn't looking forward to two shifts in a row, never mind giving up her favourite record.

'Just something you have to give up for those you love,' BJ was saying, though Jefferson couldn't hear what the two were talking about now. But she couldn't agree more.

* * *

**Kooshball:** Short note(s) to Kazoo about some of the things mentioned in your review.  
I've only seen the episode where Charles becomes a member of the 4077th once (I would have seen it twice, except the first time it was shown, I wasn't really interested in MASH. Since then, I have learnt the error of my ways.)  
In later episodes, after Radar has gone home, Margaret wasn't as impressed with Charles as she used to be. Again, I've only seen those episodes once or twice, so you might be right there.  
You are right about Charles being a better tent mate than Frank. But, after living with him for a few months, they may have forgotten how annoying Frank really was!


	7. Checkup

Alex was alright to leave the post op by herself after a few weeks. She sometimes had to ask for help when walking long distances, but her leg now could hold her weight, even if it was a bit shaky. Often, she asked others to get things that she needed for her, and they'd happily comply. Colonel Potter had a word with her about using people to get things she didn't need, but he didn't have to worry, Alex made absolute sure she knew what she wanted when asking others to get it for her. She spent much of her time in the Swamp, talking animatedly to Hawkeye and BJ, though others would often stop outside and talk to her through the canvas wall.

'I've missed so much,' Alex said almost sadly to Hawkeye as Klinger walked away. 'I never knew I'd see the day Klinger stopped wearing dresses while still in the army, and I never thought Frank would get discharged.'

'It doesn't matter that much, does it?' Hawkeye asked.

'I suppose not,' Alex replied, gently swirling her gin glass. She could see Charles heading towards the Swamp, like a man on a mission. Behind him trailed Lieutenant Sara Jefferson, holding a medical bag.

'Charles is coming,' Alex said. Hawkeye glanced around.

'I'd say he's coming to see you, Alex,' he replied. Alex nodded in reply. That's what she had thought as well. Charles came into the Swamp, and stood in front of Alex.

'I'm here to check everything is healing properly,' Charles said.

'That's what they all say,' Alex said, giving Charles a wink.

'I'll leave you kids alone,' Hawkeye said, grinning. He stood up and left, though Alex knew it was only because the comment would annoy the Major.

'Humph,' Charles said, bending down. 'Please roll up your trouser leg.'

'A bit kinky, but ok,' Alex said. She wanted to know how far to push Charles before her started barking orders at her. Frank would have cracked by now. Charles checked the leg thoroughly to make sure it wasn't infected. Alex giggled as Charles pulled the pant leg down. He glared up at her, but didn't say a word. Alex was impressed. She would have had it by now if she was the Major.

Jefferson watched in awe. She'd never have the guts to make fun of a higher ranking officer.

'Shoulder,' Charles ordered. Alex pulled her jacket off and moved the sleeve without any wisecracks this time so Charles could see the wound. The stitches had been taken out a few days before, but the scar was still pink and raw.

'Who took the stitches out?' Charles demanded.

'I asked BJ to take them out because the skin had healed and they were catching on my clothing,' Alex replied.

'I could have done it,' Charles said stiffly.

'You weren't around, and I wasn't going to waste energy to look for you when I had a capable doctor just two feet away,' Alex said. She looked at the doctor, and for a split second, saw hurt in his eyes. 'But if you had been here,' Alex started casually, 'I would have asked you.'

'I don't care if Hunnicutt took them out. I wouldn't have cared if you had ripped them out with your teeth!' Charles answered.

'You're just worried that Hawkeye and BJ have been telling me you're a crummy doctor, and I'm now scared of you,' Alex said. Jefferson knew that was true, she had heard Charles talking to Colonel Potter about it that morning, but Charles wasn't going to admit anything.

'What utter rot,' he said, standing.

'I stick by what I said before. You are a good doctor, and I'm glad you operated on me. If it had been BJ or Hawkeye, they might have screwed up from the pressure of knowing it was me they were operating on,' Alex said. Charles didn't say anything, but by the way he stood now, Jefferson could tell he was pleased by the compliment.

'Thank you, Lieutenant,' he said eventually.

'No problem, Charlie,' Alex grinned. Charles cringed at the word.

'Charles, it's Major Charles Emerson Winchester!' he said loudly.

'I'll call you Charles if you stop calling me Lieutenant,' Alex said. 'Lieutenant makes me feel... military.'

'Alright,' Charles agreed, surprised Alex had even offered the deal. From what he had heard from much of the camp, he though Alex would be more annoying than Hawkeye. But under all of the craziness, he had found a scraping of sanity within her.

'You seem a little uptight. Do I make you nervous, or are you always like that?' Alex asked. She had no sign of fun on her face now, and her bad eye and scar seemed to stand out even more when she was being serious.

'I didn't want to come to this... infested rat hole in the first place,' Charles said. 'But I am not allowed to leave until the war is over, or I manage to talk the Colonel into assigning me to a different unit.'

'The 4077th isn't that bad. You could be right on the front line, putting bandages on wounds that need stitching before sending them here,' Alex said. Charles nodded.

'Hey Charles, we need an umpire!' BJ yelled from the other end of the compound, making Jefferson jump. Charles looked over at the group playing football with contempt, then stood up.

'Will I need any more checkups?' Alex asked. Charles shook his head.

'Unless you start experiencing unusual pains, you should be alright,' he said. Jefferson stood quickly as well, medical bag clutched in one hand.

'See you, Charles,' Alex called as Jefferson went out the door.

'Dustin,' Charles nodded at Alex before leaving. Alex laughed at the cruelty of Charles' joke as he and Jefferson walked across the compound.

'What do you know, Mister High-Class has a sense of humour,' Alex mused to herself.


	8. Confrontation

Alex and Hawkeye were behind the curtain in the back corner of the Post op. Hawkeye was meant to be on duty, but there was only one patient there, and he was fast asleep. A herd of 100 North Koreans rushing past, each playing drums wouldn't have woken him. Jefferson had walked in while they were talking, and stopped to listen. She knew it was meant to be a private conversation, but she couldn't help it. She liked hearing the tidbits of information here and there, it let her know what was going on around the camp. She never passed on the information, though, that was the other nurses job.

'Hawkeye, remember the day I left?' Alex asked.

'Yeah, why?' Hawkeye said.

'Um, what about the night before that?' Alex asked. Although she couldn't see them, Jefferson thought Alex sounded very nervous.

'Unforgettable,' Hawkeye insisted.

'Remember how we, um, finally found enough time to ourselves in the supply room?' Alex asked. Hawkeye must have nodded, because Alex continued. 'A couple of weeks after that, I started feeling sick in the mornings. Turns out I was pregnant.'

Too late, Jefferson realised she shouldn't be listening, but she couldn't leave without Alex and Hawkeye suspecting she was listening in.

'What? You were pregnant?' Even with her ears blocked, Jefferson could hear every word as it grew louder. 'I'm a father? Where is the baby now? What did you name it?' Hawkeye was sounding happily excited now.

'I had an abortion before it was too late,' Alex said.

'You what?'

'I had an abortion. I was going to write you, but I could never find the right words. When I found out I had ended up here again, I figured it's be the best time to tell you,' Alex pleaded. Hawkeye stormed out from behind the curtain without giving Jefferson a second look, and he slammed the Post op doors angrily behind him. Alex limped out slowly, a few tears running down her face. She stopped in surprise when she saw Jefferson standing there, red faced.

'I guess you heard all that,' Alex muttered. Jefferson nodded, not sure if she should comfort Alex about it, or pretend nothing happened. 'I'd appreciate it if you didn't say a word about this to anyone,' Alex said before turning away, her figure hunched over, upset and unhealthy. Jefferson nodded again, even though Alex couldn't see her. The nurse stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, then walked out the door that headed towards the OR and Colonel Potter's office. There had to be something she could do.

* * *

'Alex?'

Alex turned over on her cot beside the door. She'd been moved into a tent with three other nurses, Jefferson and two others, though she didn't know where any of them were at that time.

'Alex, can I come in?' BJ asked again. Sighing, Alex leant over and opened the door a few centimetres to let him know she was there.

'Come in, BJ,' she said.

'What's wrong?' BJ asked, letting the door shut behind him.

'Nothing,' Alex muttered.

'Don't lie, Alex. I know something's bothering you,' BJ coaxed, sitting on the cot.

'If your wife, Peg, had an abortion, what would you say?' Alex asked him.

'What?' BJ asked in surprise. Alex burst into tears again.

'He doesn't know what it was like for me! What if I had had the baby? I would have gone home, then what? Lived with my sister while she worked and I stayed at home? Is that what he wanted?'

'Alex, calm down,' BJ said, laying a hand on her back as her body shuddered with crying. 'Start from the beginning, what happened?'

'I was pregnant with Hawkeye's baby a while back,' Alex hiccuped, sitting up. 'I had an abortion, but didn't tell him till just before. He stormed off, didn't let me explain.'

'Pregnant?' BJ couldn't believe his ears. Alex just nodded.

'Damn Hawkeye. Afraid of commitment, but the moment the woman backs down from something, it's not good enough for him,' Alex said, getting angry.

'Calm down,' BJ said. 'Do you want me to talk to him?'

'Talk to him? But would he listen?' Alex asked.

'I'll make him listen,' BJ said. Alex nodded slowly.

'BJ,' she said as he opened the tent door. 'How did you know I was here?'

'One of the nurses told me you were upset,' BJ replied. He didn't mention that he had forgotten which nurse had told him, but Alex knew it had to be Jefferson that had said something.

'Thanks, BJ,' Alex managed a smile as BJ went to talk to Hawkeye.

**Kooshball:** I don't know what abortion laws were like back then, another thing I probably could have researched but didn't.


	9. Fight

The whole camp knew that Hawkeye and Alex were fighting within a few hours. This was not Jefferson's doing, everyone had clicked to the fact that Alex and Hawkeye weren't talking to each other when the two avoided each other in the mess tent. No-one except Hawkeye, Alex, BJ and Jefferson knew what had really happened, the four all respected Hawkeye and or Alex too much to tell anyone. Several people had approached both Hawkeye and Alex, asking what had happened, but both refused to say anything or go talk to the other.

'Doesn't this camp have anything better to do than meddle into my personal life?' Hawkeye demanded after the eighth person tried talking to him.

'They're just trying to help,' BJ said from his bunk as the unfortunate corpsman made a hasty retreat. 'You know,' he continued when Hawkeye refused to answer him 'they'd probably stop bothering you if you went and talked to Alex.'

'We have nothing to talk about!' Hawkeye snapped.

'She's pretty upset, you know. Why don't you just hear her out?' BJ suggested. There was a knock on the Swamp door.

'I am not telling you what is wrong!' Hawkeye yelled towards it before sitting down on his bunk and angrily pouring himself a martini. Jefferson came in the door, looking nervous.

'I already know what happened,' she said quietly.

'Alex told you? How typical,' Hawkeye put his glass down and started pacing around the tent. 'She's always talking to someone else about her problems. She went to Frank when her brother died, why should she keep this to herself?'

'No, she didn't tell me. I over heard you and her talking,' Jefferson said. Hawkeye stopped and turned to face her.

'What?' he asked.

'She's upset. You wouldn't listen to what she had to say. You won't even look at her now.' Jefferson was crying under Hawkeye's angry stare. 'You don't know what it's like for her.'

'And you do?' Hawkeye asked, slightly softer now. The angry he had before was ebbing away as Jefferson cried shamelessly in front of him.

'No, but I understand how she feels. How was she supposed to support a baby with no husband? She'd have no money, she wouldn't be able to work because of the baby, and you yell at her for making the right decision,' Jefferson looked up, her blue eyes locked on Hawkeye's. 'Everyone told me you always fought for the underdog, and in this case, it's Alex,' she told him. Jefferson turned and walked out, as quickly as she could without running. Hawkeye watched her go, then groaned quietly.

'She makes a good point, Hawk,' BJ said from his cot.

'Shut up, I know, I'm going,' Hawkeye grumbled, picking up the pitcher half filled with gin and two martini glasses as a peace offering. BJ smiled at Hawkeye's retreating back. Maybe they could work it out.

* * *

Alex was laying on her cot, reading a magazine. Her other three tent mates had gone to see the movie, or so they had said. Jefferson had looked guilty and wouldn't look Alex in the eye when she had left the tent. There was a knock on the tent door, but Alex ignored it. All night people had been looking for her to see what was wrong between her and Hawkeye. She had sworn the other three nurses to secrecy to her whereabouts and ignored everyone who knocked on the tent door. But instead of going away, the person knocking opened the door and came in.

'Oh, Alex, I thought you weren't here,' Hawkeye said in surprise.

'What do you want?' Alex demanded, sitting up.

'I wanted to talk,' Hawkeye replied, holding up the two glasses and pitcher of gin.

'You think you can just show up with booze and I'll forgive you?' Alex asked, taking the pitcher and a glass. She poured herself a glass, hesitated and poured Hawkeye's martini as well.

'I'm sorry,' Hawkeye said.

'I'm sorry I told you,' Alex replied harshly, drinking her martini in one fluid movement.

'I was surprised, that's all,' Hawkeye said as Alex poured another drink for herself. 'I needed time to think about it.'

'Hawkeye,' Alex said in a softer tone, looking up at him. 'I would have wrote you, if I thought it'd make a difference. But it wouldn't have, and I made the decision by myself. I just wanted you to understand that.'

'I do now,' Hawkeye insisted, sitting beside her. 'We could just forget the whole thing, if you want.' Alex nodded.

'That'd be best,' she agreed, handing the empty martini glass back to Hawkeye. 'I'll see you in the morning.' Hawkeye stood and was gently ushered out the door, which quietly shut behind him.


	10. Dropped

To keep people happy, Hawkeye and Alex ate breakfast together the next morning. BJ sat opposite, and he noticed the tension between the two. He talked them, hoping no-one else would notice or come up and start asking questions, Hawkeye was still touchy about last night. Three tables over, Jefferson watched the two quietly, pushing her food around with her fork absent mindedly. Klinger sat beside her, and started picking at his food.

'I see Hawkeye and Alex are talking again,' he said to Jefferson. She just nodded in reply. 'I was worried when they weren't talking, Hawkeye was very close to Alex before,' Klinger continued.

'I know,' Jefferson replied. 'Everyone keeps saying so.'

'I keep wondering if Hawkeye'll propose to Alex after the war, you know?' he said, a mouthful of what the cook called eggs. 'A few people think they look good together.'

'Absolutely,' Jefferson replied, not fully listening. Alex had just stood up and was leaving the mess tent. She still limped slightly, so it was easy for Hawkeye and BJ to catch up to her outside. The three went into the Swamp.

'You ok?' Klinger asked Jefferson with a raised eyebrow.

'Fine, just worried about Alex and Hawkeye,' Jefferson said, looking down at her tray. Somehow, she had managed to make a purple coloured mess that spread across all the sections of her tray. She ate a little. Though it tasted slightly funny, it was better than it was as separate foods.

'Here they come again,' Klinger sighed as choppers could be suddenly heard. People everywhere around them dropped their trays of food and ran out to the compound and the chopper pad. Jefferson was running too, and she helped Colonel Potter with a kid missing half his insides.

'This one first,' Potter said to the corpsmen who came to relieve them of the boy who was barely eighteen.

Three hours later, everyone was busy with their patients. Alex was helping Charles as Margaret hung over her shoulder to take over if Alex did the wrong thing because of her eye.

'I wouldn't get your hopes up, Major,' Alex said coolly, handing Charles the instrument he asked for. 'My eye sight is fine and I can handle this by myself.' It was Alex's first time back assisting since she had been reassigned to the 4077th, and was handling herself well for someone half blinded in one eye. Not even a minute after she had said this, Alex swore and dropped a scalpel. Margaret was there in a flash.

'Move away, Lieutenant,' she snapped.

'It was one scalpel. I've seen you drop three in one session,' Alex replied, pushing Margaret out of the way with her hip. She went to pick up a clean one, but that slipped through her fingers as well. Alex was still cursing loudly as Margaret pushed her out of the OR.

'I told you keeping her here wasn't a good idea,' Charles said smugly.

* * *

'Whatcha doing?' Klinger asked, fifteen minutes later.

'Writing Dani. Or trying to, anyway. I keep dropping stuff, and my arm hurts like crazy. Margaret kicked me out of the OR after I dropped my second instrument,' Alex replied. Klinger nodded.

'Would you like me to write your letter?' he asked. Alex sighed and handed the paper and pen to him.

'Everyone's writing letters to me sister except me,' she said. 'I had Jefferson write my last letter to Dani.' She glanced over at the paper to see where she was up to.

'Uh, _so Margaret kicked me out of OR. Klinger is writing now, because I can't even hold a pen upright. I'll talk to Hawkeye or BJ after, maybe it has something to do with my arm_,' Alex said, watching Klinger write all this down in his just legible print.

'How is Dani?' he asked as he finished the sentence he was writing.

'She's doing well. She's not a nurse any more, but a secretary,' Alex replied. 'Ready to go on? Right, _you'll be sad to hear, Dani, Radar has gone home. Then again, you'd be pleased that you can go see him without travelling to Korea_.' Alex paused to smile. Klinger laughed.

'You have a twisted sense of humour,' he said.

'_Klinger is now Company Clerk, and is no longer wearing dresses_. She never liked your dresses, Klinger,' Alex said. Klinger just grinned. '_Anyway, Dani, all's well here, and hope that's the same back home. Love, Alex_,' Alex finished.

'You write long letters to Dani,' Klinger commented, flipping through the stack of paper he was holding. Alex took them back and looked at the page Klinger had just written.

'I do a bit at a time, and Dani likes it better if I write long ones, since she has to wait so long between letters,' Alex replied.

'I guess you made up with Hawkeye,' Klinger said. Alex looked up sharply.

'Yeah,' she said cautiously. 'So?'

'I'm just saying, it was bad seeing you two fighting. You're the closest thing he has to Trapper now, and it's like seeing Hawkeye fight with him when you two fight,' Klinger explained. Alex snorted.

'Maybe,' she said when she saw the hurt in Klinger's eyes when she had laughed at him. 'But we're ok now.'

'I'm glad to hear it,' he said. Alex sighed, and wondered if it'd ever be fully ok between her and Hawkeye.

**Kooshball:** Hey, I could write for a soap opera! Watch out "Bold and the Beautiful", here I come!


	11. Anger

Alex was sulking in the Swamp when BJ and Hawkeye finally got out of surgery.

'I've got a kid or two that need watching until they're stable before I can go back in and check for missed fragments,' BJ said.

'I almost lost that Corporal,' Hawkeye added.

'Quit rubbing it in,' Alex mumbled. BJ and Hawkeye glanced at her before looking at each other again.

'What's wrong?' BJ asked.

'Me, that's what's wrong. I can't see out of one eye, I limp around the camp like I've had an inch cut from my leg, and now I can't even hold a damn instrument without pain!' Alex replied angrily.

'It's not your fault,' Hawkeye said. 'Your leg will stop hurting in a few weeks, and your eye isn't doing anything to stop you doing what you want to.'

'What about my arm? Margaret will never let me near a patient again, if I keep dropping things,' Alex said. BJ sat on the box beside the chair Alex was sitting in.

'Take off your jacket, I'll take a look at it,' he said. Alex did so, throwing the green jacket across the tent in a temper. BJ prodded her arm and checked the scar to see if it was healing properly.

'Tell me if it hurts,' he said, poking a tender looking part of her shoulder.

'It hurts constantly,' Alex mumbled loudly. BJ moved down the arm, checking for sings of infection or muscle impairment or anything else that might have made her drop the instruments.

'So?' Alex asked when he stood up again.

'I can't find anything wrong with you,' he said, looking puzzled.

'Maybe a drink will help,' Hawkeye suggested, going over to the Still. He handed a martini glass to Alex after filling it with gin and an olive, who sipped at it thankfully before the glass slipped out of her hand, onto her lap then smashing on the ground.

'Damnit!' Alex swore loudly, starting to cry in frustration. Charles came into the Swamp, nose wrinkled up at the noise Alex was creating.

'What's going on here?' he asked. 'What's Dustin's problem?'

'Alex is feeling a tiny bit upset about OR today,' Hawkeye explained. Charles glanced at Alex who was now standing and moving to retrieve her jacket. She swung it over her shoulders, then limped out into the dark, swearing loudly to herself.

'She keeps on dropping things, but I can't for the life of me think why,' BJ said, staring at the smashed glass under Hawkeye's chair.

'What are you still standing here for? Go after her,' Charles said to Hawkeye.

'What? Why me?' Hawkeye asked.

'When she first arrived her, you went on and on about her, as if she were the sun itself,' Charles said, rolling his eyes.

'We had a fight,' Hawkeye reminded him.

'You made up,' BJ said, shrugging. Hawkeye gave BJ a look, as if to ask whose side he was on.

'Alright,' he snapped, standing up from his cot. He left the Swamp, letting the door slam loudly behind him.

'Will the Lieutenant be alright?' Charles asked BJ.

'Depends how Hawkeye handles himself in the next fifteen minutes,' BJ replied.

Hawkeye stopped outside the Mess tent when he realised he had lost Alex. He knew from experience that she could stay in hiding for a few hours at least. He thought for a few minutes, then headed for the Officer's Club. As he approached the club, he saw the door open, and the light from inside showed that it was Alex going into the club. He jogged forward, and slipped in as well.

Alex was already seated at the bar, a few people glancing at her and whispering. Alex could hear them, but she didn't care.

'Martini,' she told the corpsman behind the bar. 'And a straw.' Hawkeye sat beside her.

'Make it two,' he said.

'What do you want?' Alex snapped at Hawkeye.

'I just thought you might like some company,' Hawkeye replied.

'I'm not in the mood for company,' Alex muttered.

'Too bad, because I'm not leaving you,' Hawkeye said firmly. Alex shrugged.

'Whatever,' she said as her drink was put on the bar in front of her. She sipped it with the straw.

'Are you going to be ok?' Hawkeye asked, taking a sip from his own drink. Alex smiled a little.

'Yeah. Sorry I'm being such a horror right now, Hawkeye. But this is what I love, being a nurse, and I can't do that if I can't hold anything,' Alex explained.

'Since when do you let a little thing like that put you off?' Hawkeye asked. Alex smiled a little.

'I'm going to have to face it sooner or later,' she said.

'I'll face it with you,' Hawkeye offered. Alex shook her head.

'I'd rather face it myself,' she said. She finished her drink, and walked out of the Officer's club.


	12. Useless

When Charles checked over Alex's arm the next morning with BJ, the two couldn't find a thing wrong that would make the nurse drop instruments like she had yesterday. Alex could hold things with ease now, and there was no sign she had difficulty just twelve hours ago.

'Weird, isn't it?' she asked, pulling her jacket back on. 'Maybe it was just a one off thing.'

'We should keep an eye on you, just in case,' Charles said, BJ nodding in agreement.

'Fine, whatever,' Alex said. 'Look, I'm sorry about last night, guys. I guess I was feeling a little useless, and didn't want to be sent home.'

'It's ok,' BJ said. 'We all get like that now and again.' Alex smiled at him thankfully.

'Hawkeye understands too, right?' she asked. BJ nodded.

'He told us you apologised for how you've been acting last night,' he said. 'He still gets worried about you at times, you know.' Alex nodded, almost like she wasn't listening and stood up.

'I might go find something to do around camp, before the next batch of wounded come in,' she said. 'Maybe try and talk Margaret into letting me back in OR.'

'I doubt she will,' Charles said unhelpfully. 'She was very angry last night.' Alex shrugged and walked out.

* * *

'Major, I understand how you feel about this, but I would like to keep Dustin for a while longer, to keep an eye on her,' Potter said.

'But she is practically useless as a nurse!' Margaret exclaimed.

'I'm not totally useless,' Alex said, leaning against the doorframe of the Colonel's office. She sauntered over to the empty chair in front of Potter's desk, and sat down, putting her feet up on the desk. 'I could teach the less experienced nurses.'

'That's my job,' Margaret said icily.

'Margaret, think about it. We're in the OR, and a soldier comes in with half his insides missing. You could be shoulder deep into someone else's stomach, or you could be on R and R. Who would be the best person to instruct a rookie nurse what to do?' Alex asked. 'After you, I'm the best nurse in the outfit.'

'Colonel! She's trying to take over my position!' Margaret said loudly.

'Is that what you're worried about? The nurses will decide they like me better than you and they want me to be head nurse instead? Come on, Margaret, you're a Major and I'm just a lieutenant. Even if I were promoted to Major, I don't want to be responsible for a whole heap of nurses,' Alex said.

'You are way out of line, Lieutenant!' Margaret yelled loudly.

'Colonel, am I way out of line?' Alex asked, turning to Potter who was sitting there quietly.

'You are certainly heading that way,' he replied.

'Colonel, a surgical nurse is the only thing I've ever been. It's the only thing I want to be. I'm not going to get a job back in the states if you send me back because Major Houlihan thinks I can't hold an instrument,' Alex said. She was desperate to have Potter on her side, but she didn't want to look like she was begging for him to agree.

'A compromise,' Potter said after a few moments thought. 'Alex will instruct new nurses on what to do in the OR. She may help doctors if there is another able nurse at that table, and I will not hear another word about it.'

'But Colonel!' Margaret protested.

'Not one word!' Potter thundered. Alex and Margaret both walked out of the Colonel's office without saying anything to each other.

'I will not put up with a rogue nurse,' Margaret said once outside. 'You will do as you're told from now on, and if you don't, I'll have you court marshaled.' With that, Margaret stormed off to her tent.

'Not my week,' Alex said, slouching towards the Mess tent. 'I'll be fighting with BJ or Klinger next.'

_**Kooshball Note:** I realise Alex always seems to get her own way, and that makes a boring character. I'm sorry, but I am going to try and change that. And I'm sorry this is such a short chapter, but I promise a really long one, sooner or later._


	13. Movies

Alex made an effort to be nice to everyone after her meeting with Colonel Potter. She moved around best she could without complaining like she had been during the last few days, and even started saluting higher-ranking officers. Margaret seemed to have forgiven her for staying at the 4077th, but still kept a sharp eye on her during operations, though the Lieutenant just supervised less skilled nurses.

Alex was sitting in the mess tent when Klinger came around with the mail.

'A few letters for you in here somewhere,' he said when he saw her, digging around the mailbag. He finally pulled out a short stack of letters and handed them to Alex.

'Letter from Mom, letter from Dani, notice from the President, dress catalogue.' Alex flicked through the letters. 'The propaganda can go straight to the bin, but the catalogue might have something decent. Did you want a look?' she asked, holding the catalogue out to Klinger. Klinger shook his head.

'Those days are over for me,' he replied. Alex shrugged, and opened her letter.

'Suit yourself. If you change your mind, it'll still be there,' she said. Klinger walked away to look for Charles, and Alex was left alone to read her letters. Jefferson sat opposite her with her breakfast. She looked up when the red haired nurse yelled out excitedly.

'I can't believe it! Dani, you little gem!' Alex yelled loudly.

'What's happened?' Jefferson asked curiously.

'Read this,' Alex said, shoving the letter under Jefferson's nose.

'My boss' brother, as you know, runs a cinema in town. When I told them about you in Korea, with nothing to pass the time but count flies, they offered to send you guys a new movie, that just arrived at the cinema. They want to run it a few times first, but it will be sent soon, in a Bonzo goes to college canister, so no one else stops it. Don't tell too many people in case it doesn't get through, though...'

'What movie is it?' Jefferson asked.

'I don't know, Dani doesn't say. I'm going to get Klinger to put a connection through tonight,' Alex said excitedly. She stood up, took her letter back from Jefferson, then skipped out of the mess tent, forgetting to salute Margaret on her way out. Alex ran as fast as her leg would allow to Klinger's office, but it was empty. Tired from the energy she had used, she sat down on Klinger's cot, and waited.

Klinger came in about half an hour later.

'Where have you been?' Alex asked standing up.

'Delivering mail,' Klinger said, wondering why Alex was so excited.

'Read this,' Alex commanded, giving Klinger Dani's letter. As Klinger read, a smile grew on his face.

'Is this for real?' he asked, handing the paper back.

'I wanted to ring Dani tonight to make sure,' Alex replied.

'Done,' Klinger said, sitting down at the phone.

'Hey, it's the middle of the night over there, isn't it?' Alex asked in alarm. Klinger looked up sheepishly.

'Yeah, good point. A few more hours and your sister should just be getting up for work,' he said.

'Dani is great at getting stuff like that. As good as you or Radar,' Alex said. 'I hope she sends us something good, I can't stand any of that propaganda they've been sending us for the last few weeks.'

'I know,' Klinger replied. 'Watching them makes me wanna get back into a dress.'

Alex smiled. 'I though you were finished with dresses?' she asked.

'I have to stop myself from getting into one every morning,' Klinger said very seriously.

* * *

Hawkeye and BJ walked into Klinger's office a few hours later while Klinger was trying to get a connection through to the states. 

'What are you doing?' BJ asked.

'Trying to get hold of Dani. We've had connections in New York, Los Angeles, Washington and Phoenix, but we're just being put through to Dani's place now,' Alex said.

'Hello? Dani?' Klinger asked. 'Yeah, phone call from Alex, long distance. Hang on.' He handed the phone to Alex. 'She's there,' he said, grinning from ear to ear. 'I think we woke her up, but she's there.'

Alex took the receiver to the phone. 'Dani? Yeah, it's me, Alex. Listen, I got your letter, and it's exciting news… no, not your date. The other news… yeah, that's it. Listen, when are you sending it? Tomorrow morning? Great. … Huh? Oh, that was Klinger. … Yeah, he's pretty good at this company clerk stuff. Dani, you're breaking up. Dani, tell me the name of the movie… Dani?' Alex took the phone away from her ear. 'Shoot, lost her,' she said to Klinger, handing him the phone to hang up.

'Movie? What movie?' Hawkeye asked.

'I don't know if I should tell you,' Alex said.

'Come on, Alex, what was that all about?' BJ asked.

'Dani's sending a movie across by mail. Should be here two to three weeks, sooner if we're lucky,' Alex replied.

'No kidding? What movie?' Hawkeye asked.

'That's what I was calling about. The connection broke before I had a chance to ask her,' Alex replied. 'I won't call back, the long distance phone call rates cost a fortune.'

She walked out, whistling a tune happily.

'She's very weird,' Klinger said.

'We should hold a big celebration when the movie gets here,' Hawkeye said. 'It's been months since I've seen something I haven't seen a million times before.'

'Don't get all excited yet. It might take us the rest of the war to reach us,' Klinger said.

* * *

A week and a half later, Klinger went and found Alex quietly in the mess tent during dinner. He whispered something in her ear, and Alex grinned. She excused herself from the table, leaving the other nurses to wonder what it was all about. Jefferson knew, and she suddenly felt excited. Yesterday, the army had sent them a movie made during the second world war, about how they were wining, even though the lowliest Private knew they were coming very close to losing. She excused herself too, and followed Alex outside. 

'What are you doing?' Alex asked when Jefferson caught up with her and Klinger.

'I wanted to see what movie it is,' Jefferson replied.

'I woulda come got you sooner, but it was right at the bottom of the mailbag, and I thought it was another film from the army about Mac Arthur or something,' Klinger said.

'It's ok. Means we can watch it tonight, and not have to wait,' Alex replied. They reached Klinger's office, and Klinger handed the package to Alex. 'Yep, that's Dani's handwriting,' she said, pointing to the neat address on the front. She opened it carefully, pulling the film canister out. On the top was "Bonzo Goes to College" in bold letters. Alex lifted the lid of the canister gently. The film underneath had no label. 'Get onto the PA and tell everyone we have a mystery movie for tonight,' Alex said to Klinger. Klinger nodded and flipped the mike on.

'Tonight we have a special surprise for you all. A movie has just come in from an outside source and we can guarantee it isn't a movie about world war two. If you'd all finish your meals in the mess tent, we can show this movie as soon as possible,' Klinger's voice boomed over the camp.

'Come have a look at this,' Jefferson said, her head out the door. Alex and Klinger joined her and looked. Everyone was struggling to get out of the mess tent, and was heading for Klinger's office.

'Wait!' Klinger yelled, going out and holding his hands in the air for silence. 'Calm down! I'll be getting the projector in a moment, so we'll be showing the movie shortly.'

'Move outta the way,' Hawkeye said, he and BJ making their way through the crowd.

'Alright if we go in, Klinger?' BJ asked. Klinger gave them a brief nod, and continued trying to get rid of the crowd.

'How'd you two get past the bouncer?' Alex asked when she saw them.

'So the movie is finally here,' BJ said, grinning. 'What is it?'

'Don't know, Dani left it without a label so no one would think of taking it,' Alex replied. Hawkeye picked up the reel and went to look at the film. Alex quickly took it away from him.

'I was just seeing what it was,' Hawkeye complained as Alex put the film back into it's canister.

'I want everyone to watch it without knowing what it is beforehand,' Alex said firmly.

'Well, I might help Klinger with the projector,' BJ said. 'Coming Jefferson?'

'Huh? Oh, yeah,' Jefferson said enthusiastically. The two left and Hawkeye and Alex looked at each other uncomfortably.

'So, uh, how is Dani?' Hawkeye asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

'She's doing well. She has a new job, and she enjoys it a lot,' Alex replied, avoiding Hawkeye's eyes.

'I … I might go help Klinger as well,' Hawkeye said, going to leave the office. He half expected Alex to stop him, and was slightly disappointed when she didn't.

* * *

'Alright, we're good to go,' Klinger said. He switched the lights out in the mess tent, then went back to the projector. It was turned on, the film focused and everyone sat silently, waiting eagerly for the identity of the movie. Jefferson took a quick glance around, and noticed Alex wasn't there. There was a moments thought of where the redhead nurse could be, but she turned her full attention to the screen as it started flashing. 

For an hour and a half, the camp watched two hours of Bugs Bunny repeats.

* * *

**Kooshball Note:** I hope everyone had Merry Christmases and Happy New Years. Bring on 2005!


	14. Revenge

Alex was on duty in the Post op room, checking charts and giving aid to those who needed it. As she walked past cot three, the man in it reached out and grabbed Alex's behind. She turned and stared coldly at him.

'I'll do more damage to you than the enemy ever could if you ever touch me again, Private,' she said, her voice pure ice. The man sniggered, and reached his hand out again. Furious, Alex slapped him open handedly across the face.

'You little bitch,' the man said, holding a hand up to his slapped cheek.

'If I see you or hear of you touching another nurse, you'll regret it,' Alex told him, storming away. The Private sat on his bunk quietly until another nurse walked past.

'Hey hot stuff,' he said. 'Wanna see my scars?'

* * *

'What's that guy's name in bed three?' Alex asked during OR after the newest batch of wounded had come in.

'I dunno. Smith, Smiley, Simons, something starting with 'S',' BJ said. Alex was watching over Jefferson's technique that day, but was talking to BJ between instructing her.

'He harassed me today. If he keeps it up, I'm going to do something I might regret later,' Alex said.

'What were you thinking of? Amputating his hands or something? Silk,' BJ said.

'I was thinking lower down,' Alex replied darkly. 'Something to take away his interest in women forever.' Jefferson saw BJ cringe a little.

'Ouch,' he said. 'That's cold.'

'I will do it, with or without your help,' Alex said loudly.

'Do what?' Hawkeye asked interestedly from a few tables over.

'The Private in bed three has been giving Alex a hard time. She wants to neuter him,' BJ replied.

'She's not the only one to get smut from him. He tried to feel me up when I was changing his bedpan yesterday,' Kellye said from Hawkeye's table.

'Colonel, could you do something about it?' Jefferson spoke up.

'I could talk to him,' Potter replied. 'Don't know if there's a heck of a lot I can do about it.'

'Margaret, you're in charge of the nurses, why don't you stand up for us,' Alex said.

'What?' Margaret looked up sharply.

'Unless you want us to take matters into our own hands,' Alex suggested.

'Just stay away from the Private. If you don't go near him, he can't do anything to you,' Margaret sighed.

'Did you hear that girls? The Major is excusing us all from Post op duty!' Alex yelled out, getting cheers from the other nurses.

'That's not what I said,' Margaret fumed.

'I don't know how we're meant to work around him, Margaret,' Alex said loudly. 'It's hard to do anything with him in there yelling obscene comments to us.'

'Fine, I'll do something about it,' Margaret snapped. There was complete silence for a few moments.

'Thank you, Major,' Alex said, sounding satisfied.

* * *

Alex went with Margaret to talk to the Private in bed three.

'Hey cutie pie,' he said when he saw Margaret, and he gave her a wink.

'Give it a rest, Stewarts,' Alex snapped. The Private's eyes narrowed when he saw Alex, but he chose to ignore her.

'Want to find a nice dark room and do it?' he said to Margaret.

'Soldier, I am Major Houlihan, and if you do not stop harassing my nurses, I will have you court marshaled,' Margaret said stiffly.

'Whatever. I'd love to be kicked outta the army. Means I can go home and enjoy all the fine women in the States without their husbands,' Stewarts said, grinning slyly at the two nurses.

'I hope you get blown up from the waist down,' Alex said, turning and leaving huffily. Stewarts smiled sickeningly at Margaret.

'So how bout it?' he asked. 'Your tent at ten?' Margaret threw him a dirty look before storming towards the Colonel's office.

* * *

'He's impossible,' Alex said to Jefferson. 'Absolutely impossible. He had the nerve to suggest going back home and having affairs with women who's husbands are over here.'

'Margaret said the army is doing its best to do something about him, but it could be weeks, even months, before something happens,' Kellye added from across the table.

'Maybe we should take it into our own hands,' Jefferson said. 'Teach him a lesson.'

'I'd shoot him, but I can't hold a gun straight, let alone use one,' Alex replied. 'How about you guys?' Kellye and Jefferson both shook their heads.

'Alex, you've got a quick tongue. Maybe you could say something that would keep him from harassing us,' Jefferson suggested.

'Yeah, but what?' Alex asked. She glanced at her watch and groaned. 'I'm on duty, and I'm fifteen minutes late. Nurse Abigail will hate me for weeks.'

'Good luck with Stewarts,' Kellye said. Alex waved at her two friends miserably.

'If people start running towards Post op, it's probably because I've hit him,' Alex replied before walking away.

'About time you got here,' Nurse Abigail snapped when Alex arrived at Post op.

'Sorry, I lost track of time,' Alex apologised. 'Stewarts been giving you a hard time?'

'If I hear one more lewd comment from him, I'll scream,' Nurse Abigail said. 'There's nothing important here, just keep an eye on everyone, and get the doctor if something happens.'

'Yeah, I know the drill,' Alex muttered as Abigail walked from the room. She took a quick look around the room, and sighed. She hated these night shifts in the Post op, when the patients were asleep.

'Hello, Lieutenant,' a familiar voice called out to Alex from bed three. Alex suddenly felt sickened. She hated them even more when Stewarts was the only one awake.

'Shut it, Stewarts,' Alex replied, refusing to show how much she hated him.

'I want to go to the latrine,' Stewarts said.

'You've got a bedpan,' Alex said, eyes narrowing.

'That's demeaning,' Stewarts complained. 'I want to go to the latrines. The officer's latrines.'

'You're not an officer,' Alex said, half thankful for the rules she had hated most of her military career.

'No one will know,' Stewarts said.

'I'll take you, if you don't say another thing while you're at the 4077th,' Alex said.

'Deal,' Stewarts said. Alex went over to the Private, and helped him out of bed. She felt his hand run over her breast, but ignored the temptation to knee him in the groin. She allowed him to lean on her heavily, and helped him limp gradually out the Post op.

'Here, go to the latrine and shut up,' Alex said, pushing Stewarts away form her when they reached the small wooden building.

'Want to give me a hand in there?' Stewarts asked. Alex recoiled in disgust. 'You can't change how I am, Lieutenant,' he told her. 'I'll be like this for the rest of my life.'

'I am going to get Colonel Potter to push court marshal charges,' Alex said, backing away a little.

'Great, so I get to go home,' Stewarts said, a sick grin on his face. 'I hear you have a young, impressionable sister back home.'

'Don't even think about going near my sister,' Alex said shrilly. Hawkeye stepped out of the latrine doorway.

'Take it back,' he said.

'Make me,' Stewarts said, grinning at the surgeon. Hawkeye pulled his arm back and punched the Private, and the two landed heavily in the mud, wrestling.

'Hawkeye! Stop it, stop it!' Alex yelled, trying to pull Hawkeye away from the other man. She kicked him in the back of the leg, making him roll off of Stewarts.

'Don't tell me you're sticking up for this poor excuse of a man, even after he insulted you?' Hawkeye asked, motioning towards Stewarts on the ground, the Private's cheek already puffed up.

'Hell, Hawkeye,' Alex said, scowling at him. 'I'm not sticking up for anyone. But sometimes, you can be the biggest… the biggest jerk.' She turned away from him. 'You do what you think what's right, but sometimes, you are so self centered.'

'I thought you needed help,' Hawkeye said angrily, standing up.

'I said I wanted help in teaching him a lesson, not beating him to a pulp,' Alex replied. She looked down at the man, hating him and maybe hating Hawkeye at the same time. She turned on her heel, and walked away from Hawkeye and the man on the ground.

'You're not so perfect yourself!' Hawkeye yelled after her. He sighed, then bent down and hauled Stewarts onto his feet. 'I better take you to Post op,' he said bitterly.


	15. Poker

'Where's Beej?' Alex asked Charles, stumbling into the Swamp. 'Never mind, you're just as good a doctor.'

'What is the matter?' Charles asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Alex sat down on one of the crates in the tent.

'Abdominal pains, since breakfast,' Alex replied, clutching her stomach. Charles rubbed the painful area.

'Have you eaten anything unusual in the last few days?' he asked.

'I don't know. Would call the green stuff from yesterday's lunch unusual?' Alex said.

Standing up, Charles said 'I believe your liver is telling you to stop drinking.'

'My liver?' Alex asked, standing as well. 'I didn't realise it was smart enough to know I drink too much.'

'Stay away from anything alcoholic for the next month or so, and it will calm down. For now, I'll get you some pills to dull the pain,' Charles said.

'You don't understand, I drink to forget this war. If I can't drink, I can't forget, and I may go nuts staring at this hell hole sober for too long,' Alex said.

'Unless you want to destroy your insides, you will stay away from the Still, Rosie's bar and the officer's club for a month,' Charles insisted.

'I think it's time for a new body. This one's falling apart,' Alex muttered, sitting down. She reflexively reached for a martini glass, but stopped when she realised what she was doing. 'This is gonna be harder than I thought,' she said to Charles.

* * *

'Coming to the poker game tonight, Alex?' BJ asked.

'I don't know. Who's going to be there?' she asked.

'Me, Potter, Sidney, Klinger and Hawkeye,' BJ said.

'Yeah, count me in, I guess,' Alex said. 'Twenty one hundred hours in the Swamp?'

'Or nine o'clock tonight, which ever comes first,' BJ grinned.

'Smarty,' Alex said, lightly punching his on the arm. 'I'll go swap my rooster duty. Shouldn't be too hard, since Stewarts has been sent back to the front.'

'Yeah, about that,' BJ said, stopping Alex from walking away. 'Are you sure you'll be right around Hawkeye after that?'

'Me? Yeah, no worries,' Alex said. 'We can still have a professional game of Poker without mentioning that, can't we?'

'I guess,' BJ said. 'But I'm not cutting my poker game short if you two start brawling.'

'Hey, you could bet money against that instead of the cockroach races tomorrow night,' Alex suggested. 'Cut me half, and I'll take a dive in round three.' BJ shook his head, smiling.

'You're so much like Hawkeye, it's amazing,' he said. Alex poked her tongue out childishly at BJ, then walked away. 'If you were any more like Hawkeye, I'd have to get you both name tags!' BJ yelled after her.

* * *

'I suck at Poker when I can't drink,' Alex muttered, putting her cards down on the table. 'I fold.'

'It's my lucky night with you and Hawkeye out of the game,' Sidney said, pulling the chips towards him.

'Where is Hawkeye?' Potter asked.

'Sulking. He found out I was coming tonight and refused to come. Said something about a date, or post op, or anything else that would get him out of seeing me,' Alex replied, staring down at the table.

'It can't be that bad,' Sidney said. 'Hawkeye used to be willing to do almost anything for you. Remember Dani?'

'That's the problem,' Alex said. 'I yelled at him after he tried to help me, and things have been awkward - MORE awkward - than before.'

'Bad breakup,' BJ muttered to Sidney as he shuffled. Sidney nodded in understanding.

'I can hear you, you know,' Alex snapped. 'Anyway, I thought we were here to play Poker, not discuss me and Hawkeye.'

'Sorry, Alex,' BJ said. He dealt the cards and Alex took a swift look at her hand.

'Or, in my case, lose at Poker. Why am I even playing? I can't play without a martini,' she said, pushing her cards away. She stole a quick glance at the Still. 'Maybe I cold just have a little-'

'No! Alex, your liver will try and punch a hole through you if you touch anything alcoholic in the next month or so,' B warned. Alex sighed.

'Yeah, I know,' she said. 'Nothing's going my way, my luck, my career, my liver…'

'It can't be that bad,' Klinger said. He reached for his pile of chips to find they were all gone. 'Have I really lost that much?' he asked the waiting table.

'You didn't come in with that much to begin with,' Sidney said.

'Hey Alex,' Klinger said, turning to the nurse. 'I got a set of earrings, just ten dollars.' He pulled a large pair of large earrings from his pocket.

'I thought you gave up the section eight?' Alex asked, taking the earrings from Klinger to have a look.

'I did. Don't mean I got rid of all my stuff,' Klinger said. 'What do you say?'

'I might as well go away with something tonight,' Alex mumbled, handing Klinger a few notes and pocketing the earrings. She stood up and stretched. 'I'm going home,' she said. 'I'll win my money back next poker game, when I can drink.'

'Night, Alex,' BJ called. Alex grunted and walked out of the Swamp.

* * *

'Where have you been?' BJ asked without looking up when Hawkeye walked into the Swamp.

'Oh, you know, about,' Hawkeye said airily. 'Is it too late to play a few hands?'

'I can't believe you'd avoid a Poker game just because Alex was here,' Klinger said, standing up. 'You gonna start ignoring me because I tell you the mail is late?'

'Clamp it, Klinger,' Potter said, staring hard at his cards. To Hawkeye, he said 'it's downright childish.'

'What did I do?' Hawkeye demanded.

'You realise Alex was upset because you weren't here tonight?' BJ asked. 'She was so upset, she was off her game really bad.'

'Which she blamed on not being allowed to drink,' Klinger said, sitting down again.

'Which meant she wasn't able to get drunk and forget you were ignoring her,' BJ said.

'And not drinking put her off her game even more,' Klinger added.

'Letting me win for a change,' Sidney said.

'Ok, so I was avoiding her,' Hawkeye snapped. 'What would you do in my position?'

'Try to talk it out like adults,' Colonel Potter said. 'Look, Pierce, I can't send Alex away, no other unit will take her, she won't go home, and I don't want to lose my best surgeon. You two are going to have to kiss and make up.'

BJ gave a small cough. 'Maybe not the best way to put it,' he said quietly.

'I'll talk to her tomorrow,' Hawkeye said, sitting in his recliner. 'Can you guys drop it until then?'

'You'd better, Pierce,' Colonel Potter said.


	16. Carlye

Alex was laughing with Kellye and Jefferson the next morning. Hawkeye went up the their table and stood there awkwardly for a moment.

'What?' Alex asked, not entirely in a nice manner.

'I'm sorry about last night,' Hawkeye mumbled.

'Oh, weren't you at the poker game last night? I didn't notice,' Alex said icily.

'I said I was sorry, didn't I?' Hawkeye yelled. 'Isn't that enough?'

'Look, I know you think all of this is my fault, and maybe it is. But you don't make it any easier,' Alex said. 'Just because you've been here the longest, doesn't mean you've been put through the worst of the war.' Hawkeye looked away guiltily, remembering Alex's scar and eye. Alex turned away as well, and went back to eating. Hawkeye left the Mess hall.

'You can't be mad at him forever,' Jefferson said.

'Watch me,' Alex replied, viciously stabbing a piece of bread.

'Look on the bright side, he'll be gone for a few days after today,' Kellye said.

'Why, what's happened?' Alex asked in surprise, looking up.

'Didn't you hear? Potter gave Hawkeye a week of R and R for him to cool down,' Jefferson said.

'I wish I got a weeks R and R,' Alex said.

'It could be worse,' Kellye said.

'How?' Alex asked.

'He could have sent you home,' Kellye said.

'Yeah, ha, ha, make fun of me because I've said no to a ticket home,' Alex said sarcastically.

'I didn't mean it like that,' Kellye said.

'Sorry,' Alex sighed. 'I guess I'm sour because of my liver. Just tell me to pull my head in next time I start acting like that again.' She put her head in her hands. 'I hate this stupid war.'

* * *

Charles was relieved Hawkeye had gone, but he didn't get the privacy he had expected from Hawkeye's absence. Alex had taken to sitting in the Swamp with BJ, an empty martini glass in her hand, pretending that she was drinking.

'Can't you go to Rosie's bar, or the officer's club?' Charles demanded on the second day.

'Too much temptation, Charles,' Alex said. 'Here, there's only one source of alcohol, and BJ's temporarily disconnected the Still.'

'The mess tent, then,' Charles suggested.

'What, and risk eating the food there?' Alex asked. 'No way. I don't need my stomach pumped.' Grumbling angrily, Charles stalked out.

'You really know how to push other people's buttons, don't you?' BJ asked Alex.

'Tell me if that's a joke, because if it is, I'll have to throw something at you,' Alex said. 'I could start my own war, you know. All I have to do is annoy someone into being the enemy.' She opened her eyes at the sound of a jeep. 'Jeeps bring bad things,' she said. 'Is it wounded or Hawkeye? I can't decide which would be worse, right now.'

'Looks like nurses,' BJ said. 'Isn't that typical? We ask for surgeons, they send nurses, and at a quiet time of the war, too.'

'Maybe if we ask for nurses during a quiet time, they'll send surgeons when we need them,' Alex suggested.

'Uh oh,' BJ said.

'What?' Alex asked, sitting up hurriedly.

'Carlye,' BJ said.

'Who's Carlye?' Alex asked.

'One of the new nurses, the blond,' BJ said. 'Hawkeye's ex. Closest thing he came to being married.'

'I might go say hi,' Alex said, standing up.

'What are you going to do to her?' BJ asked.

'Nothing!' Alex insisted. 'I just want to know if they're permanent or not.' She walked out of the Swamp before BJ could try and say anything else to talk her out of meeting Carlye.

'Hi,' Alex said as she approached them. 'My name's Alex, you temp nurses?'

'Lieutenant Thompson,' the brunette said, saluting.

'Carlye,' the blond said, taking Alex's relaxed attitude. 'We're just temporary. We go back to our unit in three days.

'Oh, too bad. You'll miss out on meeting Hawkeye,' Alex said, her tone not quite sarcastic.

'Who's Hawkeye?' Thompson asked.

'I know Hawkeye,' Carlye said.

'So you've been through here before?' Alex asked, ignoring Thompson.

Carlye nodded. 'And I knew him before the war,' she said.

'You an ex?' Alex asked. Carlye nodded again. 'I'm in the same boat as you then,' Alex said. She paused to give Carlye a look over. 'Not in the same league though, or so I hear.'

'We have to go see the CO,' Thompson reminded Carlye.

'Well, Carlye, maybe I could meet you somewhere, and we can discuss the infamous Hawkeye Pierce,' Alex said. Carlye picked up on the sarcasm this time when Alex said Hawkeye's name, but she nodded and smiled anyway.

'Officer's club?' she asked. Alex nodded.

'2000 hours,' she said, walking back towards the Swamp. 'See you Carlye, Lieutenant Thompson.'

* * *

Alex was surprised to see Carlye at the officer's club before her.

'I've asked around about you,' Carlye said when Alex sat down. 'You and Hawkeye are fighting, right?'

'Who told?' Alex asked.

'Lieutenant Jefferson mentioned it,' Carlye said. 'So why the arguing between you and Hawk? Sick of being second to his medical career?'

'I wish,' Alex said. She told Carlye the story briefly.

'Oh,' Carlye said.

'So, I've been told Hawkeye wanted to marry you,' Alex said.

'He loved being a doctor more than to be with me,' Carlye said. 'So we broke up. We met up again a year or so ago, and he tried to make it work again. I told him no. He told me there had been a lot of girls after me, but none were special like me. Oh, sorry,' Carlye said, glancing at Alex. 'I mean, maybe you're different.'

'No, I knew Hawkeye before he met up with you again,' Alex said. 'And I'm not special like you. Maybe that's why I gave up the baby. I knew I wasn't the one for him.'

'I think you should talk to Hawkeye again, try and at least be friends again,' Carlye suggested.

'Nothing works out for me,' Alex said. 'I'll be lucky to have a job after the war, if my liver holds out that long.'

'Look up,' Carlye said kindly. 'Maybe you could get a typing job somewhere.'

'I've been so… mean, no-one would take me,' Alex muttered. She smiled at Carlye. 'Sorry, I'm starting to be negative again. I keep telling myself I'd be nicer if I was drinking, but everything that's happened helps my bad mood.'

'You only get out what you put in,' Carlye said. 'Force yourself to have a positive attitude, and life will look up, eventually.'

'Thanks,' Alex said, semi-sarcastically. Sighing, she apologised again. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I'll do what you say, and try and talk it over with Hawkeye. If I manage to make a mess of it again, I'll tell Potter I want to go home. It's tough on the whole camp to have me and Hawkeye fighting.' Carlye smiled heartily at Alex, who slumped onto the bar. 'God, I hope I don't stuff it up,' she muttered loudly.

* * *

'So when are you going to talk to Hawkeye?' Kellye asked. It was a week later, Carlye and the other nurse had moved on, and Hawkeye was back from R and R.

'Never,' Alex said. 'I'm going to ignore him for the rest of the war, or my life, which ever is longer.' She flinched at the looks Jefferson and Kellye gave her. 'I'm kidding!' she said. 'I'll talk to him when I talk to him, ok? When I think _I've_ cooled down enough.'

* * *

**Kooshball: **So how's my writing? Call 1800-leave-a-review!

_Twist of Lemon_ chapter 5 is also up!


	17. Storm

Alex looked around the darkened compound, leaning heavily on the signpost. She'd had to stop when her leg started playing up again for no reason. From where she was, she could see Hawkeye and BJ in the mess tent, causing a food fight, hear Charles listening to his Bach record in the Swamp, smell strong coffee from a nearby tent. Alex walked a few steps to test her leg, and was relieved it was feeling less painful. She cast another look around the compound, and noticed Father Mulcahy's light was on. Before she could stop herself, Alex walked over to his tent, limping slightly. She gave a quiet knock on the door, then cursed herself. She didn't like going to religious figures, generally they preached to her the wrongs of her ways, and to change before it was too late. She reminded herself this was Father Mulcahy, and not one of the narrow minded priests she'd known in her home town.

'Come in,' Father Mulcahy's soft voice called from inside. Alex took a deep breath and walked in. She'd only been in his tent once, while trying to hide from Hawkeye and Trapper, the first time she'd been at the 4077th. It was simplistic, no signs of home on the shelves put up, or the table beside the cold looking cot.

'Ah, Alex,' Mulcahy sounded surprised. 'What brings you here?'

'Confession, Father,' Alex said.

'I thought you were atheist?' he asked.

'Yeah, but I respect other's views on God, and if confession can work for them, why not me?' Alex asked.

'What have you come to confess?' Father Mulcahy asked, motioning to the nurse to sit on one of the fold up chairs. Alex took the chair gladly.

'Hawkeye and I have been fighting, as you know,' she said. 'I told him I had been pregnant with his child, but had an abortion.' Father Mulcahy nodded, trying not to look disapproving.

'Go on,' he said.

'When I found out I was pregnant, I was at the other MASH unit. There was a man there, big believer in sins sending you to Hell. He made it his duty to make sure we were all sin free.' Alex made a face. 'Compulsory confessions to him, because he thought he was more God fearing than the priest there, he held sermons every time there was no wounded. I don't mind if other people look to God for answers, but I like to think I can control my own life, without divine interference.' Father Mulcahy nodded reassuringly, even though Alex was saying the opposite he believed in. Alex appreciated him for that.

'Anyway, this man found out I was pregnant and unmarried. Told me to go find Hawkeye and get married. Hawkeye wouldn't get married! I told him that, he said Hawkeye would pay later in Hell. He said there was one way to save myself, and it was to get rid of the baby. I couldn't do that,' Alex said, eyes pleading with Father Mulcahy.

'What happened?' he asked.

'He came into my tent one night, five weeks into the pregnancy,' Alex's eyes started to water with the memory. 'Covered my mouth so I couldn't scream. Pressed down on my stomach, made me have a miscarriage. I couldn't tell Hawkeye what had happened. He wouldn't believe me.' Alex shook her head, tears streaming down her face. 'An extremist,' she said with a sad smile. 'I'm lucky to know you, Father, remembering you stopped me from hating all religion.'

Father Mulcahy sat there with a stunned look on his face for a few moments. 'I don't believe someone could do that,' he said.

'Do I look like the type to have an abortion?' Alex asked. Mulcahy shook his head.

'Why tell me?' he asked.

'I don't know, prove to myself I still can accept other people and their religion,' Alex said shrugging. 'Plus, you're the only person I can trust not to tell Hawkeye and the rest of the camp.'

'You should tell Hawkeye,' Mulcahy said. Alex shrugged, still sniffing slightly.

'He wouldn't understand,' she said bitterly. 'He wouldn't believe me. He'd hate me even more for letting it happen.'

'Maybe you don't know Hawkeye as well as you think you do,' Mulcahy said. Alex looked up at the Father.

'You really think I should tell him?' she asked. Father Mulcahy nodded. Smiling he stood up.

'I'm glad you still feel you can trust me, Alex,' he said. Alex wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

'Thanks for listening, Father,' she said. 'So, do you send a bill for the confession, or do I pay now?' Father Mulcahy laughed at the joke, and Alex smiled. She walked out into the night, and headed for her tent. Noticing Hawkeye and BJ in the Swamp, annoying Charles, she changed direction and headed towards the officer's club.

* * *

'A dust storm? Here? But this is the largest mud hole this side of Japan. We don't get dust,' Alex said.

'I know,' Potter replied, 'and if we're lucky, it will miss us completely. However, I would like the camp to take the necessary precautions in case it does hit the 4077th.' He'd called Alex and Margaret into his office to talk about the coming danger. He'd already talked to the other senior officers.

'So me and Margaret are taking care of the nurses?' Alex asked.

'That's Major Houlihan to you, lieutenant,' Margaret snapped. Alex rolled her eyes.

'Sorry, Major,' she said, trying not to be sarcastic.

'I want you two to keep an eye on the other nurses and their whereabouts until I say,' Potter said. 'That means working _together_, not ignoring each other and doing your own thing.'

'Yessir,' Margaret and Alex said at the same time. Margaret saluted the Colonel, and Alex followed suit. The two women walked out of Potter's office together, and stopped outside.

'It might be good to get them all together now,' Alex said. 'Means if we're hit suddenly by this storm, we know where all the nurses are.' Margaret turned on Alex.

'I am the superior officer, Dustin, and you will not undermine me!' she yelled. Alex stepped back.

'Sorry, Major,' she said. 'It was just an idea. But if you want to play army, I don't have much choice, do I?'

'Come on,' Margaret said, walking briskly towards the nurse's quarters. Alex shrugged and followed her. Margaret went into the first nurse's tent. 'Atten-shun!' she said. Nurse Baker looked over lazily.

'Hey, Margaret, Alex,' she said.

'I want all nurse personnel in the mess tent, now,' Margaret said.

'Why?' Jefferson asked.

'NOW!' Margaret said. The three nurses shot each other dark looks.

'We're comfortable here, Major,' Kellye said.

'Hey, guys, Houlihan said mess tent now,' Alex said. 'Trust her, she's our commanding officer, and doesn't want any harm to come to us.' The three nurses suddenly looked worried.

'We're not bugging out or retreating, are we?' Jefferson asked Alex fearfully.

'Major Houlihan will tell you when she sees fit,' Alex said. Jefferson, Kellye and Baker all marched out of the tent quickly and toward the mess tent.

'How dare you!' Margaret exclaimed.

'I know,' Alex said. 'You're head nurse, and I shouldn't have done that. I just thought it'd be quicker if I said something.'

Margaret lifted her hand as if to slap Alex, and the red head nurse flinched. Margaret lowered her hand without hitting her. 'Go, lieutenant,' she said. 'I will get the rest of the nurses.'

'What, to the mess tent?' Alex asked.

'I don't care!' Margaret said. 'Just go!' Alex lowered her head in shame, and limped away.

* * *

Alex sat in the supply room, upset and sulking. Outside, the wind was picking up and blowing soil from small Korean fields all over the camp. Dust was leaking into the cracks of the supply room, and Alex sneezed a few times.

'I'll be ok in here,' she said. 'It's too late to move now.' The door to the supply room banged open, and someone stumbled in, coughing. He dusted himself off after closing the door, and Alex cursed quietly to herself. It was Hawkeye, the person she was trying to ignore.

'Oh, Alex,' Hawkeye said when he saw her.

'Is the storm bad yet?' Alex asked. Hawkeye nodded his head. 'Great, see ya,' Alex said, standing up and heading towards the door.

'Are you nuts?' Hawkeye asked, catching Alex's arm. 'The dust is so thick you can't see beyond a foot in front of your nose.'

'I have a big foot,' Alex said, trying to get to the door.

'You'll just have to sit it out,' Hawkeye said, not letting go of her arm. Sighing, Alex went back and sat down on the spare cot she'd been on before. Hawkeye went and sat on the other end of the cot, turned away from her.

'So,' Alex said. 'Is the Still safe?'

There was a loud noise before Hawkeye could answer, and there was a scream. It took Alex a moment to realise it was her. She clamped her mouth shut as dust swirled around, obstructing her vision. Hawkeye made her lie down and threw a blanket over their heads to keep the dust out. The wind stopped after a moment, and the dust settled. Hawkeye took the blanket off them, and he and Alex looked around.

Everything was covered in dust, and one of the shelves had fallen onto the supply room door so it was impossible to get out. The dust had come in a broken window with a piece of canvas nailed to the top of it, now trapped down and keeping the wind out by fallen supplies.

'I guess we're in here for a few hours at least. Alone. Together,' Hawkeye said. Alex had her head in her hands, cursing her luck. She looked up at Hawkeye to say something bitter, when she realised this was the perfect opportunity.

'Hawkeye,' she said. 'I have to talk to you.'

* * *

**Kooshball:** Yes, I finally made the story correct! People would not have accepted abortions in the 1950's, so hopefully I've made that more historically correct by having a few people apposed to it, but too polite to say anything. Woo! And Hawkeye and Alex have finally made up! (I can hear reviewers saying "About time")

And yes, I live by one religious rule: Live and Let Live. I love the fact that others have found the Lord, and I respect them for it, but don't try pushing beliefs onto me. It doesn't follow my Live and Let Live rule.


	18. Rescue

'I can't believe it,' Hawkeye said, the truth in the open.

'I knew you wouldn't,' Alex said.

'Why didn't you tell me before?' Hawkeye asked.

'Because you wouldn't believe me,' Alex said. She was ashamed, and wouldn't look Hawkeye in the eye.

'He could have seriously hurt you,' Hawkeye said. 'Or killed you.'

'He wouldn't care. As long as my soul was saved,' Alex said bitterly. She sniffed a little bit. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, Hawkeye,' she said. 'It screwed up our relationship, and I've been kicking myself since.' She felt Hawkeye's arms close around her shoulders warmly and she leant back onto him, letting the tears fall.

'I'm sorry I acted the way I did,' Hawkeye said finally. 'I don't know why you felt you had to lie to me.'

'Neither do I,' Alex admitted.

'Hey, it's behind us now,' Hawkeye said. 'We can forget about it, ok?'

'I don't know if I want to head straight back into a relationship, Hawk,' Alex said. 'Remember what it was like when I first arrived here? When Trapper was still here, and Henry was still-' Alex stopped herself from saying "alive".

'It was just you, me and Trapper,' she continued after a pause. 'We'd play poker, drink, annoy Frank. I know Trapper and Frank aren't here anymore, but there's always BJ and Charles. Can it just be like it was back then?'

'Let's just be friends?' Hawkeye asked.

'That was my idea,' Alex said. Hawkeye nodded.

'If that's what you want,' he said. The two just sat like that for about half an hour, Alex leaning onto Hawkeye, enjoying the warmth of his body.

'Hey, do you think the storm has stopped?' Hawkeye asked. Alex got up and went to the window. The canvas covering it had stopped blowing around and when Alex freed it, it was clear outside. Hawkeye was at the door, trying to move the shelving.

'We have two choices,' he said. 'Stay here and wait for the others.'

'What's the second choice?' Alex asked.

'Stay here and wait for the others,' Hawkeye said. Alex sighed, running her hand through her hair. Dust fell from her head, settling lightly on her shoulders and on the floor.

'What?' Alex asked, catching Hawkeye staring at her.

'You're beautiful, you know that?' he said.

'You didn't seemed to think so when you were avoiding me,' Alex said. 'BJ told me all the nasty things you said about me while we were fighting, too.'

'Yeah, but I was trying to protect myself from the hurt,' Hawkeye said. 'There have only been a few really special women in my life, Alex. You were one of them. It hurt me to find you had given up your- our child. It hurt me when we argued. If I told everyone how much I hated you, maybe I'd start to believe it myself.' He got a sly look in his eye. 'Want to try for another baby?' he asked. 'This time, you can keep it.'

'I thought we talked about this,' Alex pleaded. 'I don't want to get back into a relationship like that. Please don't ruin it, Hawkeye.'

Outside, someone started banging on the wall.

'Anyone in here?' BJ called through.

'Beej, in here,' Alex yelled back, and Hawkeye stared banging on the wall. There was a yell from BJ, and Alex put her hand on Hawkeye's arm to stop him from banging so they could hear BJ.

'Are you ok, Alex?' Margaret called.

'Yeah, we're ok,' Alex yelled back. Outside, the group paused.

'We?' Klinger asked.

'Maybe another nurse is there too,' BJ suggested.

'Impossible, all of my nurses are accounted for,' Margaret said.

'How about a corpsmen?' BJ asked.

'Also all accounted for,' Father Mulcahy replied. BJ frowned for a moment.

'Who else…' he started before realising. 'Hawkeye's with her,' he said with a mix of relief and horror. 'We'd better get them out soon, before they rip each others throats out.'

'Is Hawkeye with you, Alex?' Margaret yelled.

'Yeah, I'm here too, Margaret,' Hawkeye shouted.

'We can't get out,' Alex yelled. 'The shelves fell on the door, and Hawkeye isn't strong enough to lift them.'

'Maybe if you both try,' BJ's suggestion came back.

'Are you ok to?' Hawkeye asked Alex gently.

'It's not like I have to worry about my hands,' she said. 'I just watch surgery, remember?' She got onto the other side of the shelves and the two tried to lift it.

'No good,' Hawkeye yelled.

'How about the window?' Alex asked. She went over to the window and carefully hit the rest of the glass out. Hawkeye made her put a blanket on the ledge before letting her through. Alex climbed through the window slowly, making sure she didn't get stuck halfway. She landed on the ground heavily on her hip, and she winced in pain.

'Are you ok?' Hawkeye asked, sticking his head through.

'Oh, you know, just another injury to add to the list,' Alex muttered loudly. 'I don't even really notice getting them anymore.' She stood up slowly, and Hawkeye held onto her arm through the window to steady her.

'I won't be able to get through that,' he said.

'You're not that much bigger than me,' Alex said.

'Just go get the others. Maybe one of them will fit through and can help me with the shelves,' Hawkeye said. Alex walked painfully back around the building, shocked at the dust piled up at the bottom of the walls. She went to where the others were trying to think of a way to get them out and taped Klinger on the shoulder.

'Alex!' Klinger yelled in surprise, giving her a hug.

'Gently, Klinger, I'm sore all over these days,' Alex said, accepting the hug.

'Where's Hawkeye?' BJ asked.

'Still in here,' Hawkeye yelled through the doors.

'The window's broken, and I climbed through. Hawkeye says he won't fit though,' Alex explained.

'Did he try?' Margaret asked. Alex gave her a look.

'No,' she said as if it were a stupid suggestion. 'Wouldn't even try, the big baby.'

'A little help?' Hawkeye asked.

'He wants someone else to climb in and help him shift the shelves,' Alex said. 'But I'm not sure if any of the corpsmen will try fitting through.'

'If you can, I'll be able to,' Klinger said.

'I'll go, too,' Margaret said. 'They'll need all the help they can get.'

'I might be able to fit,' Father Mulcahy said doubtfully. Alex showed them the window where Hawkeye was waiting.

'How'd you get through that again?' BJ asked.

'Painfully. Very, very painfully,' Alex replied. Margaret climbed through, almost hurting herself on the other side. Luckily, Hawkeye caught her and stopped her from hitting the hard floor. Klinger fitted through easily, and so did Mulcahy. Together, the four attempted to move the shelves from the door. BJ and Alex cheered from the other side of the window as the shelves grated noisily along the floor and away from the door. Gratefully, the four slipped outside.

'I was beginning to think I would be stuck in there forever,' Hawkeye said.

'So what's the damage with the storm?' Alex asked.

'Dust everywhere,' BJ said. 'Jefferson got hit by something because she was outside, but no casualties apart form that.'

'Why was she outside anyway?' Hawkeye asked.

'Kellye, Baker and Jefferson were looking for Alex,' Margaret said, not looking impressed.

'I'm sorry I wasn't there,' Alex said. 'You told me to go, I went. When Hawkeye came into the supply room, I was going to leave, but he stopped me from going.'

'We should thank the Lord everyone is ok,' Father Mulcahy said, looking up to the heavens.

'You know what would calm me down right now?' Hawkeye asked.

'What?' BJ asked. Hawkeye opened his mouth, and was about to say "a martini" but he remembered Alex.

'A poker game,' he said finally. 'Coming, Alex?'

'Yeah, ok. I think my luck is starting to come back, anyway,' she said, linking arms with him and walking towards the Swamp. BJ, Margaret, Klinger and Father Mulcahy stared after them in disbelief.

'Guess they finally worked it out,' BJ said.

* * *

**Kooshball: **I can hear all the readers yelling "YAY! They're finally back together!" and I'm sorry it took so long to get to that point. Hangs head in shame But anyway, the main point is for you guys to review!

Oh, and the last chapter of "Twist of Lemon" is up.


	19. Painkillers

'So can I start drinking again yet?' Alex asked.

'How many days has it been since you started on the painkillers?' Hawkeye asked.

'Sixteen days,' Alex replied, sounding downcast.

'Then no,' BJ said. 'Charles told you a whole month without booze. At least you're more than half way.'

'It feels like forever,' Alex complained. 'I'd like to see you guys go without your martini's for a month.'

'Yes, but we don't have to,' Hawkeye reminded her.

Klinger came into the Swamp, a large parcel under one arm, the mail bag under the other.

'Mail,' he said. Spotting Alex, he dropped the parcel on her lap. 'Big one from home,' he told her, sorting through the letters in the bag. Alex ripped open the package.

'What is it?' Hawkeye asked.

'If it's alcohol, I'll scream,' Alex muttered. She let out an excited gasp when she pulled the final layer of paper off.

'What?' BJ asked, the three men leaning in closer to have a look.

'My favourite jacket,' Alex said, pulling a black jacket. It didn't look very warm, but Alex hugged it like it was a godsend. She put it carefully on her lap and pulled out a book next. 'Photo album,' she said. 'I'll have to go through this first and make sure there aren't any embarrassing photo's in it.' She tucked it under her jacket, making sure it was out of reach from the others. Hawkeye and BJ had already started to eye it evilly.

'Anything else?' Klinger asked.

'A letter from mom, and another from Dani,' Alex said. She sighed heavily. 'And a tin of mom's rum brownies,' she said. Hawkeye gleefully snatched the tin from her.

'We'll look after them for you,' he said. Alex snatched the tin back.

'No way,' she said. 'They'll be gone within twenty minutes. Anyway, these'll get you drunk faster than those martini's.'

'How much rum does she put in?' BJ asked. Alex opened the tin and offered it to them.

'Enough to keep her and me happy,' she said. 'She also makes a mean rum mud cake.' She offered the tin to them and Hawkeye, BJ and Klinger each accepted one.

'Wow, you'd better keep an eye on them,' BJ said. 'They could cause trouble if someone eats them without knowing what they are.'

'Yeah,' Alex said fondly. 'Mom got the recipe from her mother-in-law, years before she married my father. I'd get into the tin before dinner, and be half drunk for the rest of the night. Dani never liked them.'

'Ah, so that's why you're such a good drinker,' Hawkeye said.

'And why my liver is in such bad shape,' Alex said. She opened the photo album and flicked through it.

'Who's that?' Klinger asked, pointing to a photo over her shoulder.

'That's Isaac,' Alex replied. 'This is from just before the war. He'd finished a course in teaching, and was going to teach at the college in our home town before he got conscripted.' Alex's tone had turned slightly bitter. 'He had to deal with so much because of his lifestyle. People wouldn't serve him at shops, once they knew he was homosexual, they wouldn't go near him on buses or trains. Some even spat at him. But we knew he was our brother, a guy willing to do anything, _anything_, for us.'

'Sounds like a real gentleman,' BJ said seriously. Alex shrugged.

'I wouldn't say gentleman,' she replied. She closed the album and stood up, her things under her arms. 'I might go read Dani's and mom's letters in my tent,' she said. 'I'll see you later, ok?'

'See you Alex,' BJ and Hawkeye said in unison. Klinger gave her a wave as she walked across the compound.

* * *

'So, how is your family?' Jefferson asked.

'Mom's ok, she's talking a lot about some of the little kids around the street, starting marble tournaments and stuff,' Alex said. 'Getting in trouble for taking rum brownies to the school bake sale instead of regular ones.' Jefferson laughed.

'I bet the older kids were happy about that,' she said. Alex nodded vaguely, starting the letter from Dani. She was stretched out over her cot, and Jefferson was packing for R and R leave. She soon forgot what she was doing when Alex gave a yell and sat up.

'What?' Jefferson asked, moving to the end of Alex's cot.

'Dani's pregnant,' Alex said. Her voice was a mixture of joy and jealousy. 'The guy from work proposed to her, and they're going to get married in six weeks, so the baby isn't born out of wedlock and Dani can still fit into a wedding dress.' She looked up at Jefferson. 'This is huge,' she said, waving the letter in Jefferson's face. She looked down at the letter again. 'God, I wish I could go home to see it. Do you think I could go back to the states for a few days?'

'No harm in asking,' Jefferson said. She sighed. 'I love weddings.'

'Margaret won't let me go. I've already annoyed her enough in the last month,' Alex said. She looked back at the letter. 'I never thought I'd see the day,' she said to Jefferson. 'Dani was always the flirty type. She says Mom will record the wedding for me, but it won't be the same.'

'Maybe the war will end soon,' Jefferson suggested.

'In the next six weeks?' Alex asked. 'I'd need a miracle.'

* * *

Alex was sitting across the table from Klinger in the mess hall when her liver began playing up again.

'Damn it,' she swore, clutching her stomach.

'Are you ok?' Klinger asked, concerned.

'Yeah, my liver is just beating me up again,' Alex said. She took the small plastic bottle of painkillers from her pocket and took one. Instead of putting the bottle away, she stared at it. 'How many do you think it would take?' she asked quietly, turning it slowly in her hands.

'To do what?' Klinger asked.

'To die,' Alex said softly. 'How many until I stopped breathing, until my heart stopped beating, until the neurons in my mind stopped working?'

'Alex?' Klinger asked, reaching across the table and touching her on the shoulder. The nurse jumped, then smiled at him.

'You know, they almost taste better than the food here,' she said cheerfully, putting them away.

'Do you know what you were talking about before?' Klinger asked, worriedly.

'Huh?' Alex asked confusedly. 'I was just saying how my liver was giving me trouble again.'

'Never mind,' Klinger said when she gave him a questioning look. He kept an eye on her for the rest of the meal, but she seemed to have forgotten about the painkillers.

* * *

Alex flipped through the photo album that night, alone in her tent. Jefferson had long gone on R and R, Kellye was dancing at the Officer's club, and Baker was on Post op duty again. Alex stared at a photo of her and Dani together, and she thought of her sister getting married.

'When will it end?' she muttered to herself.


	20. Depression

Alex was in the Swamp alone when BJ came in, a week later. Charles was consistently complaining that she treated the Swamp like her own quarters, which she pointed out, they had been once or twice.

'Hey Alex,' BJ said, sitting on his cot. Alex didn't like the way he was looking at her, and she let him know.

'What did I do now?' she asked, throwing an abandoned sock at BJ. BJ grinned.

'Nothing,' he said. 'I just wanted to talk.'

'Yeah, go ahead then,' Alex said. 'I'm not going to stop you.'

'I hope you've been staying away from your mother's brownies,' BJ said.

'Yeah, yeah,' Alex said irritably. 'Everyone else can have one but me. I know.'

'Got enough painkillers?' BJ asked.

'Yeah,' Alex said, taking the container from her pocket and rattling it. 'The pains have more or less stopped now, so I shouldn't need most of them, anyway.' She put it back without saying anything else.

'So what does your mother and sister have to say?' BJ asked. 'I can never hear enough about home.'

'Oh, they're ok, I guess,' Alex said. Her tone wasn't exactly bitter, but she wasn't as warm as she had been a few minutes ago, either.

'So nothing's bothering you?' BJ asked.

'Except not being able to drink,' Alex said. BJ turned away from Alex and started untying his boots. Alex got up quietly, and went to the Still. She poured herself a drink, and BJ turned around at the chink of glass against glass.

'What are you doing!' he asked. 'Do you want your liver to be operated on?'

'I'm sick of not drinking,' Alex snapped. 'I'm sick of having to face this stupid war when everyone else can forget it. You and Hawkeye have the Still, Colonel Potter has his scotch or brandy or whatever in the safe, Margaret has her own secret stash somewhere, as does Charles, and everyone can go to the Officer's club or Rosie's as often as they want. I'm sick of it.'

'Alex, don't,' BJ said, trying to grab the martini glass, or at least tip the contents out so Alex couldn't drink it. 'What's the matter?'

'Nothing!' Alex yelled. She stumbled backwards away from BJ, and cried out in pain when her leg started playing up again. She sat down on Charles' cot, nursing the martini glass carefully. BJ say next to her, but didn't try to take the drink from her.

'What's wrong?' he asked softly. There was a long pause.

'Everything,' Alex finally answered. 'I've been depressed lately.' She looked down at the martini as if she'd only just noticed it was there. Sighing, she pushed it away into BJ's hands, who put it on top of the stove. 'Nothing serious,' she said.

'Alex, you asked Klinger how many painkillers it would take to kill yourself,' BJ said.

'I said that?' Alex asked. She seemed genuinely surprised. Alex sighed again. 'I didn't know. I thought I was just thinking about it. I wasn't going to do it, you know.'

'I know,' BJ soothed. 'But I want you to give me the painkillers anyway.' Alex handed them over without argument.

'It's just I've been under so much stress lately,' she said. BJ nodded sympathetically. 'The wounded, my liver, not drinking, breaking up with Hawk. I know we sorted that out, kinda, but he's not the same. I'm still a little cold towards him, though he probably hasn't noticed. I wanted it to be like when we first met, but it'll never be like that again, not after what I did.' BJ didn't know why Alex was blaming herself for the break up, and he didn't bother asking. He knew she'd never tell him. 'Then I hear Dani's pregnant—'

'What?' BJ asked. 'Dani's pregnant?'

'Yeah, she mentioned it in her last letter. She's getting married to the father in about a month,' Alex said. She blinked a few times, to try and hide her tears. 'And I'm not gonna be there for it…' She sobbed out loud, then cried onto BJ's shoulder. 'It's unfair,' she muttered loudly. BJ patted her on the back.

'It's ok,' he said. 'We all feel homesick at times.' He tried not to think of his wife and daughter back in the states.

Alex sat up. She shook her head. 'I can't believe I said that to Klinger,' she said.

'It's ok,' BJ repeated.

'No, it's not,' Alex said. 'I've been cold towards everyone, and you've all put up with me. If it had been me receiving this kind of behaviour from someone else, I would have chased them over the front line by now.'

'Alex, nearly everyone in camp loves you,' BJ said. 'With the exception of Charles. We all know you've been going through tough times, and we'd never make it worse by holding your moods against you.' Alex smiled slightly bitterly.

'Thanks, BJ,' she said, trying her best to sound sincere. She loved him trying to make her feel better, but it was hard to act it when she felt like she did. 'Does Hawkeye know?' she asked. BJ shook his head.

'Klinger came to me. We don't know how he would have reacted to your behaviour,' he said.

'Good,' Alex said. Sighing, she stood up. 'I hate this place so much,' she said.

'It's only the war that makes it so lousy,' BJ said. Alex smiled a little.

'I might go see Potter about going on leave,' Alex said, leaving the Swamp.

* * *

'R and R?' Potter asked, looking up with a frown.

'Believe me, sir, if I didn't think I needed it, I wouldn't be asking,' Alex said.

'There are a lot of bars in Tokyo,' Potter said. 'You're still not meant to be drinking.'

'I've only got about a week to go, sir,' Alex said. Potter wasn't sure of Alex, he was used to her mucking around with the others, playing crazy pranks, and never being fully sober. The young woman in front of him now looked drained, yet presentable. It was like something had sucked the fun out of the nurse. Maybe she did need R and R.

'BJ and Klinger will vouch for me needing leave, sir,' Alex said, breaking into Potter's thoughts.

'Charles goes to Tokyo for the week in a few hours,' Potter said. 'You can go with him, and he can keep an eye on you.'

'Thank you, sir,' Alex said, not sure if Potter knew about her depression or not.

'Go pack, go enjoy yourself,' Potter said. 'And don't worry about Houlihan, I'll talk to her.' Alex smiled.

'Thank you, sir,' she repeated, more enthusiastically, before leaving the CO's office.

* * *

'I can't believe you're going on R and R with _Charles_,' Hawkeye said.

'You're not worried, are you?' Alex teased, throwing her brush into her bag.

'Of course not,' Hawkeye said. There was a pause. 'Ok, maybe a little,' he admitted.

'It's only because I'm desperate for a break, and so he can check to see if my liver's ok to see if I can drink,' Alex said, holding up a skirt. 'Do you think this skirt is ok?'

'It's not your liver I'm worried about,' Hawkeye muttered. He nodded. 'The skirt's fine.'

'Hawkeye, Charles is not interested in me. I'm too rough for him,' Alex said. 'And even if I was his type, I'm not looking for a relationship, whether it be a one night stand, or a meaningful romance that ends in marriage.' She looked up from folding her skirt. 'I doubt we'll even see a lot of each other,' she said. She dumped the skirt in the bag, zipped it up and gave Hawkeye a hug. 'Don't worry,' she said. 'It'll be fine.'

* * *

Alex didn't see much of Charles that week in Tokyo. She mainly went to the bath houses, where the brass flirted with her cheekily, and trinket shops. She didn't know where Charles went, but guessed the gardens, and museums. The two had separate rooms in the same hotel, across the hall from each other. Charles room was large and airy, with a large double bed and heaps of room. Alex had ended up with a small room, cozy and big enough for just her.

It wasn't until their last night in Tokyo did Charles check Alex's liver. It had been exactly a month since Alex first complained of pains.

'Well, you appear to be alright,' Charles said, standing up.

'Let's celebrate,' Alex said excitedly. 'Drinks and dancing on me.' Her time in Tokyo had really lifted her spirits.

'No,' Charles said. When Alex suggested drinking and dancing, he envisioned a horrible hovel bar like Rosie's, full of Hawkeye's and BJ's.

'Come on,' Alex said. 'It'll be fun.' She pushed him towards her door. 'Be ready in twenty minutes,' she said.

'I don't want to,' Charles said sulkily, but the door had already closed in his face. Sighing loudly, Charles went back to his room.

Alex danced from her room fifteen minutes later. Her hair was fluffy from being washed and dried, and she wore a hint of make-up to go with the pale green dress Klinger had given her for her last birthday. She knocked loudly on Charles' door.

'Hurry up,' she yelled. Charles emerged a moment later, still looking sulky.

'I don't want to go,' he said stiffly.

'Well, you got ready, didn't you?' Alex asked patiently. 'Come on, I know a little place a few streets over that you'd love.'

'I doubt it,' Charles snorted.

* * *

'Told you it was nice,' Alex said smugly. The place she'd been talking about was a small bar on the corner, decorated elegantly and playing soft classical music in the background. Charles was a little speechless in where Alex had taken him.

'I've been coming here most nights,' Alex said, sitting down at a table. 'Not drinking, mind, but a lot of classy people come here every night and dance. It's great fun.'

'Do you even know how to dance?' Charles asked in amazement, sitting down opposite her.

'Hey, I mightn't be able to sing, but I know a few dance moves,' Alex said, beckoning the waiter. 'Best wine you got, thanks.'


	21. Naked

Alex woke up, a familiar headache banging away in her head, a sort of sickly feeling in her stomach. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to have a full on hangover. She opened her eyes slightly against the glare of the sun coming through the window, and her blood froze. This wasn't her bed, or her room. It was Charles'. For a split moment, she thought maybe she'd got too drunk last night, and Charles had brought her home. He would have given her his bed, unable to get into her room, and he'd have slept on the sofa, like the gentleman he was.

Unfortunately, this couldn't be right, because she was naked under the covers, and Charles was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, a robe over his shoulders, as if he'd just got out of bed.

'Oh my god,' Alex said, sitting up and frantically making sure the covers hid her completely. 'Oh. My. God. We didn't—'

'I don't know,' Charles said roughly. He sounded sort of upset and a little hung over himself.

'What happened?' Alex asked.

'I don't know,' Charles repeated, louder this time. He flinched when he yelled, but didn't take his head from his hands. Alex was feeling sick now.

'Oh god, I'm a prostitute,' she said. 'A cheap harlot.' She buried her head in her hands.

'Do you remember anything from last night?' Charles asked. He refused to look at her. 'There… there's a chance nothing happened.' Alex closed her eyes and willed herself to remember what had happened.

'We went out last night,' she said eventually, 'had a few drinks, went dancing. I can't remember anything apart from that.' She looked up again. She must have really been out of it. Charles wasn't really her type. He was balding, not the sort of man who worked out, snotty, and had little sense of fun.

Then again, Charles mustn't have been himself either. He'd never have anything to do with a middle class person like herself. And no man wanted anything to do with a woman covered in scars, half blind in her right eye, and couldn't walk without her leg giving way. She wasn't exactly on the top of every mans list.

'We speak to no-one of this,' Charles said, turning to Alex. He realised she still had no clothes on under the blankets, and turned away with embarrassment. Alex turned her head in shame. Charles didn't appear to be wearing anything under his tightly done up robe, and she guessed he'd found himself naked next to her only a short while before she woke up. What had they gotten themselves into?

'Where are my clothes?' she asked eventually. Charles stood up, went and got the green dress beside the door and passed it to her. Holding it up, Alex soon realised it was torn, and completely unwearable.

'Shit,' she said.

* * *

Because Alex couldn't find the keys to her room, she had to pull on some of Charles' to go down to the front desk and ask for a replacement. She'd got several funny looks, and she hated herself immensely. She'd sold herself, and for what? A few glasses of wine that she'd paid for herself. She had no idea what she'd say to the others when they got back.

'Oh yeah, I had a great time. Charles and I got drunk together on the last night and woke up this morning, nude, in each others arms.'

She didn't think so.

Charles wasn't happy with the situation either. He couldn't remember one thing that had happened the night before, and only hoped he had acted nobly. He didn't want to think if he'd had drunken intercourse with Alex, or even worse, raped her. He'd never be able to show his face anywhere ever again. He refused to talk about it, or anything else to Alex, and avoided her whilst they got ready to go back to Korea. Not that Alex knew what to say in the first place. She tried talking to him on the plane back to Seoul.

'Charles?' she said cautiously. When he didn't answer, she continued. 'I'm sorry for last night. And this morning. It must have been just as big a shock for you as it was for me, waking up… together.' She paused, and blinked her eyes a few times to keep back the tears. 'I know you're worried that you might have been the cause of it, but it was my fault.' Charles turned to her.

'You remember what happened?' he asked.

'No, but I do know it was me that forced you to come out and celebrate with me. I got us both drunk. It's as good as my fault,' Alex said. Charles was quiet. He knew it wasn't right to let Alex take all the blame, but her taking responsibility like that made him feel better about the whole mess.

* * *

'Hey Alex. Have a good time?' BJ asked when the jeep pulled up in front of the Mess tent.

'Yeah, great,' she said, avoiding his glance and heading for the nurses tent with her bags.

'How about you, Charles?' BJ said, confused at Alex's reaction.

'None of your business,' Charles snapped, heading for the Swamp. BJ thought for a moment, and went to Alex's tent. Knocking on the door, he stuck his head in.

'You ok, Alex?' he asked, going in. Alex wiped her eyes hurriedly, hoping BJ hadn't seen the tears.

'Yeah,' she said, trying to sound cheerful. 'A week in Tokyo was exactly what I needed.'

'Why are you so upset now?' BJ asked.

'You know, hangover. I've been deemed fit to drink, and I had a little too much the other night,' Alex said.

'I've seen you hungover, it's more than that,' BJ said. 'It's not like you ended up sleeping with Charles or something, right?' He said it as a joke, but Alex looked up, a horrified look on her face. BJ misread the meaning of the expression. 'Sorry, it was a bad joke,' he said. 'I know you and Charles could never do anything like that.'

'Yeah,' she said weakly, wondering what BJ would have said if he'd realised that had really happened.

'So are you going to be ok?' BJ asked. Alex nodded.

'I might feel better after a sleep,' she said. BJ patted her on the back.

'Good to have you back, Alex,' he said before leaving the nurse's tent. Alex waited a few moments after he left, and reached under her cot, where she'd hidden her mother's rum brownies. There was one left, and she sighed. Next time, she was going to take them with her, so no-one in camp could get to them.

* * *

'Wounded, folks. Better drag the welcome mat out.'

Alex was scrubbing quickly, hoping to get through the wounded quickly. Hawkeye and BJ had invited her to a "Welcome Back" drink that night, and she'd wanted to get that over and done with so she could go to bed early that night. Charles walked into the tent, and hesitated. Alex sensed him, and finished rising quickly.

'Better hurry up, Major,' she said, avoiding his gaze. 'There's a few bad cases to get through.' She hurried into the OR, waiting for instructions from Margaret.

'We're low on nurses, Dustin,' Margaret said to her through a mask. 'You'll be helping operate with Winchester today.'

'What?' Alex asked. 'Where is Jefferson and Kellye and the others?'

'Sick. There's something going around. We've given ourselves flu shots for it, but it was too late to keep a lot of the nurses healthy,' Hawkeye replied.

'You wouldn't be assisting otherwise,' Margaret said. By the tone of her voice, she didn't want Alex assisting at all, but had no choice.

'Great,' Alex said, trying to put some enthusiasm into her voice. 'I've missed assisting.' She went and stood by Charles' table, dreading to hear the major's reaction to her working on his table.

'Where is my other nurse?' Charles demanded when he saw Alex standing at his table. 'She's not meant to be assisting.'

'We have a shortage,' Margaret said. 'We just have to hope she'll be ok with it.'

'Thank you for your encouragement, Major,' Alex said over her shoulder. She had jumping beans in her stomach, her hands were shaking. It was like her first operation all over again.

'Scalpel,' Charles said, holding his hand out. At least he was trying to keep a professional attitude. The two operated mainly in silence, while Hawkeye broke into song to keep the mood up, and the others sang along. Every time Alex and Charles touched each other, their hands would jump back as if touched by a live wire.

'What is the matter with you, Dustin?' Margaret asked angrily when she stopped to check how the younger nurse was holding up, and she witnessed Alex drawing her hand away.

'Sorry, Majors,' Alex apologised, head down in shame.

'It's not her fault, Major,' Charles spoke up. 'We both are responsible.' Alex glanced up, knowing he wasn't just talking about the operation. She smiled at him as Margaret went back to Colonel Potter's table, even though she knew Charles probably didn't realise there was a smile under her white mask.

* * *

'I wasn't just talking about the operation in there,' Charles said when they were washing their hands afterwards.

'When Major Houlihan was chewing me out?' Alex asked. 'Yeah, I kind of guessed that.' There was a long pause. 'Thanks,' she finally said.

'Just never mention the incident to anyone,' Charles said. 'Ever.'

'Same goes for you,' Alex said.

'Agreed,' Charles said. Hesitantly, the two shook hands.

'I just hope I hadn't made a complete idiot of myself,' Alex muttered.

* * *

**Kooshball: **Dang, you reviewers are too smart for your own good! Guessing what I had planned an' all. Well, hopefully I've presented this in a way that you guys _weren't _expecting, and no doubt you'll want to know the truth behind all this. Well, that's next chapter, and I'm not writing that till you review! Mwahahaha! 


	22. Truth

**The night of the Incident **

Charles went to pull money from his pocket when the waiter came back with a bottle of wine, but Alex told him to put it away.

'I told you, I'm paying,' she said. 'I know it's not exactly how it's done, but this isn't a real date, as such.' She tipped some of the contents into two glasses, and took one. She sipped hers experimentally, and smiled. 'I have missed alcohol so much,' she said.

'At least let me pay for some,' Charles said. 'I could not call myself a gentleman otherwise.'

'Charlie, yours is a dying kind. The sort that offers to pay for a lady's meal or to hold the door open for them,' Alex said, leaning on her elbow. She smiled at him, and held her glass up. 'To the gentlemen Winchesters,' she said. Charles wasn't sure if she was mocking him or not, but held his glass up as well anyway.

'To those who make life… interesting,' he said. Alex grinned, realising it was a sort of joke at her expense.

'Thanks,' she said, taking a drink from her glass. There was an awkward silence between them for a few minutes. Alex drained her drink in that time, and had moved onto her second glass. She topped Charles' glass up as well. 'Don't let me drink too much,' she warned him, taking a mouthful of the wine. 'I don't need to destroy my liver on its first night drinking in a month.'

'So… what does your father do?' Charles asked, unsure what they were meant to talk about.

'He died, when I was only young,' Alex said.

'I'm sorry,' Charles said, worried he'd put his foot into it.

'Doesn't matter, he was a two-timing bastard anyway,' Alex replied. Charles looked slightly shocked at Alex's crude language. 'Sorry,' she apologised. 'But he was. Mom found out just a month or two ago he'd been sleeping with his secretary. He had been a businessman before that.'

'What does your mother do for money?' Charles asked cautiously.

'Mom makes wedding dresses and that sort of thing. She's very good, almost as good as Klinger was,' Alex replied. 'Dani is a secretary, soon to be housewife. As much as I want to get married one day, I don't want to give up nursing for it. Mind you, my nursing career is pretty much sunk anyway.' She drained the glass and filled it again.

'You really are an unusual woman,' Charles said to her. Alex knew it wasn't a compliment as such, but smiled anyway.

'Thanks,' she said, sipping her drink. 'I try.'

'You seem to get on with everyone,' Charles continued. 'No-one can get along with everyone.'

'I don't get along with everyone,' Alex said. 'The man before you, a Major Frank Burns, he hated me. We had a few times where we actually got along, but he despised me for being so much like Hawkeye. And Margaret didn't like me to begin with. I still manage to drive her up the wall, but she likes me better than she used to.' Alex poured another wine for herself.

'And then there was the last month or so. I've been getting on everyone's nerves for a while now.' She sipped her drink, and looked up at Charles through her long lashes. 'Plus, you've always seemed to dislike me.'

'I wouldn't say _dislike_,' Charles said.

'Don't lie,' Alex said with a smile. 'You've been bitter towards me since I first called you "Charlie".'

She suddenly frowned and turned her head towards the couple at the next table, listening to what they were talking about.

'Can you believe them?' she asked Charles, motioning towards them. 'They keep calling the war a "police action". Can you imagine?' She looked over at them again and shook her head. '_A rose by any other name smells just as sweet._ And a war by any other name is just as bloody.'

'Shakespeare,' Charles said with delight.

'_Romeo and Juliet_,' Alex said, sipping her drink. She could feel herself getting drunker, but years of practise helped Alex hide her lack of sobriety, though her words had become slower and more pronounced. 'What, did you think I was some illiterate moron?'

'No,' Charles said a little too quickly. 'I didn't expect you to know about the more sophisticated arts.'

Alex shrugged. 'Personally, I preferred _Hamlet_.'

'Where did you see the play?' Charles asked interestedly. He was now curious about the woman who obviously was more than she let on.

'Oh, I never saw the play,' Alex replied. 'I read the book in high school. I used to read everything, but when I got to my final two years of school, I had no time to do anything. I had to give up reading to make way for my studies. I never really got into the habit of reading again.' A man came up to Alex and Charles, his neck slightly red from embarrassment.

'May I have a dance?' he asked Alex, his gaze continually flicking towards Charles as if he were worried the surgeon might hit him.

'You don't mind, do you, Charles?' Alex asked, standing up.

'Go,' Charles said, his expression hard to read. He wasn't sure if he was happy that this man was taking the unusual Alex away from him, or not. Alex took the man's hand and stepped gracefully onto the dance floor with him. For a woman who limped everywhere, she wasn't too bad a dancer. She waltzed with the other man for a few songs, smiling and laughing. Alex obviously loved the attention, yet she didn't crave it at the camp, like Hawkeye and some of the others did. It had taken Charles a while, and several glasses of wine, but he realised she was different to the others.

He stood up and walked over to the dancing couple, and tapped the other man on the shoulder.

'May I cut in?' he asked. There was a pause as Alex thought about it. For one frightful moment, Charles was afraid she'd turn him down. After all, the man she was with now was handsome, closer to her own age and more her style.

Alex smiled and dropped the other man's hands, and moved to Charles. The other man seemed a little disappointed, but didn't try fighting the decision, and he went back to his friends.

'Feeling left out, Charles?' she asked.

'I wanted to teach you how to dance properly,' Charles said. 'Your dance moves are atrocious.' Alex grinned.

'Go on then,' she said. 'Teach me.' Charles didn't speak for a moment.

'Maybe it was his dancing,' he said finally. 'Yours is fine, but he is a horrible dancer.' Alex smiled again. They both knew it was a lie; Charles just wanted to spend more time with Alex.

'I'm surprised you came out to dance,' she said. 'Especially since I was with Luke.'

'I thought you were going to turn me down,' Charles admitted.

'Charles, the people at the 4077th are like family to me. I can't say no to family,' she replied. Alex's foot suddenly slipped, and she stumbled.

'I've got you,' Charles said, stopping her from hitting the floor.

'It's ok,' she said to the people stopping around them to make sure she was ok. 'I'm just a little clumsy tonight.' Charles helped her to her feet. 'Let's go back to our table,' Alex said. 'I'm not healthy enough to dance all night.' Charles helped her back to the table. Alex poured them more wine, and the two drank.

'Excuse me?' the man from before was back again. 'Are you ok?'

'I'm ok, Luke,' Alex said, giving him a dazzling smile. 'I'm just not very light on my feet.'

'Oh, but you're very light on your feet,' Luke insisted. 'Can we dance later tonight?'

'I don't know, Luke,' Alex said. 'I'll let you know, ok?' Luke nodded, dismayed, and went back to his friends. 'He's sweet,' she said, watching him leave. 'Don't know what he sees in me, though.'

'What doesn't he see in you?' Charles asked. Alex smiled as if told a joke that wasn't in least bit funny.

'Charles, look at me,' Alex said. 'I've got a limp, I can't see out of one eye, my shoulder and face is scarred. No man wants a second hand woman.' Alex used to be proud of her good looks, but war had had turned into a woman who was convinced that she wasn't beautiful, despite many heads turned when she walked into a room.

'My dear, you are not a used car,' Charles said, 'and not every man is after a homecoming queen. You cannot look at the bad things in you without looking at the great things in you as well. You have sparkling personality, you are intelligent, and no matter what anyone says, still very beautiful.' Alex shook her head, like she didn't believe it. Usually, she took compliments with good grace, but with several glasses of wine in her, her defense system was down.

'No man would ever find himself attracted to me,' Alex insisted. Charles took her hand.

'I find you attractive,' he said softly. Alex glanced at him, to see if he was joking. His face was very serious.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were stumbling down the hallway on the third level of their hotel, lips pressed against each other. Alex pulled away and started giving Charles quick little kissed on the lips.

'You don't think.' Kiss. 'I'm being.' Kiss. 'Too forward.' Kiss. 'Do you?' Kiss.

'Of course not,' Charles muttered. Alex giggled as his moved his mouth from her lips to her neck. She let out a yell, and half fell.

'Are you ok?' Charles asked, pulling away to check she wasn't hurt.

'Just my leg again,' Alex said, trying to pull herself up. 'Geez, it hurts though. Must be all the alcy-hol.' She giggled again. Charles pulled her up, and kissed her hand before releasing it. He went to his room, unlocked it, and came back to help Alex into his room. He left her by the double bed, and closed the door before stumbling to the other side of the bed. Alex was trying to get out of her dress, and accidentally ripped it. She threw it at the door, and climbed under the covers. She pulled off her slip and bra from under the blankets, and threw them across the room. By this time, Charles had also got undressed, and was already under the covers when Alex joined him. They began kissing again, pressing together with only a thin sheet between them.

'My Alexandria,' Charles murmured into her, making her giggle again.

'Oh, Hawk,' she muttered loudly, eyes closed in bliss. Charles stopped, and pulled away.

'Excuse me?' he asked. Alex opened her eyes, they'd begun to dull with tiredness, and she was starting to become more disorientated.

'Why'd you stop?' she asked.

'You called me Hawkeye,' Charles said.

'Did I?' Alex asked.

'I cannot do this,' Charles said, wriggling backwards.

'Why not?' Alex asked.

'Because you still love Hawkeye,' he said. 'It does not feel right.'

'But it's you I love,' she insisted. Her eyes started closing. 'You... Hawkeye.' Charles shook his head. Alex's gentle snoring a minute later told him that she's passed out.

Charles closed his eyes for a moment, and woke up the next morning, naked, hung over, and partly pressed against the nude Alex, with nothing but a thin sheet between them.

* * *

**Kooshball Note: **Come on guys, leave some reviews! 


	23. Discussion

'Our date was great,' Jefferson was saying to Lieutenant Baker as Alex walked into the showers.

'Oh, you had a date?' Alex asked. 'Who with?' She took her green robe off and got into the first shower stall.

'Uh, Hawkeye,' Jefferson said as Alex started lathering up the soap, watching the red head carefully. There was a slight hesitation in Alex's actions, small enough to go unnoticed to anyone not looking for it.

'So he's started dating again?' Alex asked casually as Baker left hurriedly. No-one wanted to get on the wrong side of any nurse's bad mood, not even the other women in camp.

'Yeah,' Jefferson said. 'You don't mind, do you?'

'Me? Why should I? It's about time he got over me,' Alex said. Again, there was a slight hesitation in her reply that most would have missed.

'I wouldn't say he's over you,' Jefferson said, drying herself. There was a pause. 'He mentioned your name while we were together,' Jefferson continued bravely. Another pause to see if she'd gone too far. 'Several times.' Alex paused from shampooing her hair to look at her friend.

'So you two have been—'

'No, we never got that far,' Jefferson said with a slight blush. 'I think he's got his mind on other things to actually _do_ anything right now.' Alex shrugged.

'Whatever,' she said. 'I couldn't care less.'

'So you're ok with this?' Jefferson asked. Alex nodded.

'I've known Hawk a long time,' Alex said. 'I knew what he was like before I started dating him. We're friends now, _just_ friends, and I'm just surprised he didn't start dating again sooner.'

'So have you started dating again?' Jefferson asked.

'No,' Alex replied. 'I'm not my sister, after all.' Jefferson lingered in the showers for a moment longer before leaving. Alex waited until she'd gone to let herself think about the jealousy she was feeling. Hawkeye was already dating the other nurses, so soon after they'd decided to be just friends. Maybe she could start seeing Charles on a regular basis, just to annoy him. After all, they'd shared a bed in Tokyo.

Alex shook her head to stop herself thinking this sort of thing. Just because Hawkeye was seeing other people, didn't mean they couldn't be friends. He was dating one of the other nurses when she'd first arrived, and they'd managed to be friends.

And Alex still hated herself for what happened in Tokyo. She couldn't even joke about it to herself without feeling sick in her stomach. What if she was pregnant? If Hawkeye _did_ still have feelings for her, and found out she was pregnant with Charles' child, he'd kill both of them.

Alex was just wrapping a towel around her head when Charles walked in on her. She screamed, and Charles jumped. Luckily, she'd already wrapped her robe tightly around herself, so there wasn't another embarrassing incident like Tokyo.

'I thought the nurses had finished!' Charles yelled in apology, head turned away so he couldn't see anything.

'It's ok,' Alex said, calming down quickly. 'I'm decent, and just leaving.' Heart beating from the shock, she walked past Charles, who held a hand out to stop her.

'I'm sorry,' he apologised.

'See, saying sorry won't kill you,' Alex said.

'I think we need to discuss our position,' Charles said.

'What's there to discuss?' Alex asked. 'I thought we weren't talking about this any more?'

'It's going to be difficult to work together until we sort this out,' Charles said firmly. 'It will seem like we are forever in the same place at once, until we talk about this.'

'Where?' Alex asked finally, her hand on her hip, unhappy with Charles' suggestion. 'When?'

'Supply room, nineteen hundred hours tonight,' Charles said.

'Um, Charles?' Alex asked. 'You do realise what the supply room is used for at night? Don't you think it would make matters worse if we were caught in there together?' Charles coughed and his cheeks seemed to glow a little.

'Where do you suggest?' he asked.

'I could get the other nurses out of my tent, but that might be suspicious as well,' she said. 'However, I can fix that. Just show up at my tent at nineteen hundred, ok?' Charles nodded and Alex left the showers quickly, hoping no-one had noticed her coming out a few minutes after Charles had come in.

It wasn't until she'd reached her tent that she realised that maybe, just maybe, Charles wanted to use the supply tent in the same way Hawkeye did.

* * *

'So where's Baker and Kellye?' Alex asked Jefferson at about six forty five. She'd had eaten earlier at the mess tent, sitting with the other nurses and avoiding the surgeons. She still felt guilty about Tokyo, and even about meeting up with Charles afterwards felt like she was betraying Hawkeye and BJ.

'Kellye is on Post Op duty until late, and Barker has a date,' Jefferson said.

'Who with?' Alex asked, dreading the answer.

'Um, Hawkeye,' Jefferson replied, nervously.

'He's getting around, isn't he?' Alex asked bitterly.

'Hey,' Jefferson said, sitting on Alex's cot beside the other nurse. 'You want to have a girl's night in, just you and me?' Alex almost said yes, but remembered her meeting with Charles.

'It's ok,' she said, giving Jefferson a small smile. 'I've kind of got a headache anyway, and was going to go lay somewhere quiet to rest the night.'

'Don't leave the tent,' Jefferson insisted. 'I'll go, and Kellye and Baker won't be back til late. You'll have the tent to yourself.'

Alex smiled. 'You are so good to me,' she said. 'I promise, one day we'll have an all girl's night, just us nurses.' Jefferson smiled back and started pulling her boots on.

'I'll be watching the movie in the mess,' Jefferson said before she left the tent. 'You need anything, come find me, ok?' Alex nodded in reply and tried to look like she had a headache. Jefferson slipped out the door, and Alex waited impatiently for the Major.

It was just "nineteen hundred hours" by Alex's watch when Charles came into the tent. Alex was just wondering why the army had to use hundred hours instead of the normal hours and minutes when she realised he'd arrived.

'No-one saw you, right?' Alex asked worriedly, sitting up. Charles shook his head. Glancing around the tent, he smiled.

'So how did you dispose of the other three nurses?' he asked.

'Dispose of? Charles, you make me sound like I killed them,' Alex said. 'One's on Post Op, one's watching the movie.' She paused for a moment, letting a brief moment of jealousy pass through her. 'And one's on a date with Hawkeye,' she said finally. 'They shouldn't be back until later tonight, by which time I hope we've finished talking.' She got Charles a fold out chair from the back of the room and sat on her cot while she waited for him to organise himself.

'So,' Charles said. 'Where, do we start?'

Alex took a breath. 'What if I'm pregnant,' she blurted out. This seemed to take Charles by surprise.

'What do you mean?' he asked.

'What if I'm pregnant with your child,' Alex said. 'What happens next? Obviously, you wouldn't marry me. I'm middle class. Yet, my mother would kill me if I never married the father of her grandchild.' Alex paused with a faint sigh, and avoided his eyes. 'I think the best idea is if I tell people the father is a dead soldier. _If_ I am pregnant. That way, I don't spoil your name.'

'What makes you think I wouldn't take responsibility?' Charles asked. Alex looked up from her shoes.

'I'm not your type,' she said in amazement. 'Your family would hate you.'

'They don't seem to care about class as much as they used to,' Charles said in a slightly annoyed tone. 'And what would you know about my "type"?'

'I don't know you very well, Charles,' Alex admitted. 'But I know your type. I've met them many times. Above all, you hold your aristocracy above all else. You could never marry me and hold your head up back home at the same time.'

'Do you remember much from our night in Tokyo?' Charles asked. Alex shook her head.

'Not a lot,' she said.

'There was drinking,' Charles said. 'Dancing. Talking. I realised that night you were not the norm. That's what I look for in friends.'

'And how do you define the norm?' Alex asked in curiosity.

'The ingrates around here, they are the norm,' Charles said. 'People I saw in the streets of Tokyo, they were the norm. You are special. You are dignified, bold, tasteful.'

'Are you describing me, or a fine wine?' Alex asked.

'The first time, and the only other time, I fell in love in this godforsaken place,' Charles said in a low voice, 'was with a girl from Rosie's bar. She sold herself to other men, wouldn't have been able to tell Shakespeare from Twain, and had no manners. You tell me now, that you are not my type.'

'God, Charles, I don't know,' Alex said, feeling slightly upset. She felt she was screwing everything up again, and she hated not being in control. Charles moved onto the cot beside her and laid a gentle hand on her back. Alex sat for a while, feeling sorry for herself, until she realised what he was doing. She jumped up, angry. 'What the hell are you doing?' she demanded. She could feel her eyes tearing up, and she blinked angrily to stop herself crying. She sat down again, finally. 'I'm sorry,' she apologised. 'From what I remember of the other night, you were excellent company, and though things went a little too far, I want to become friends. I don't know, maybe it will evolve into a relationship, later on, but not now, not when I have so much on my plate.'

Charles nodded sombrely. 'I understand,' he said, maybe a little too briskly.

'I know it's going to be difficult, but if we talk everything out slowly, maybe we can make things easier for ourselves,' Alex said. Charles nodded again, standing up. 'God, you're not going to give me the cold shoulder, are you?' Alex pleaded. 'I've had enough of being ignored by everyone.'

'I'm sorry,' Charles apologised. He seemed sincere. 'We should try and talk this over later on.' He stood up.

'Maybe the back room of Rosie's bar,' Alex suggested tiredly. 'Today's Tuesday, right? We'll meet Friday morning, around six hundred hours, unless there's wounded. I'll organise it all with Rosie.' Charles nodded and Alex opened the door for him.

'I hope we can work this all out,' he said before Alex closed the tent door. He muttered something to himself angrily and walked towards the Swamp.

Inside, Alex collapsed on her cot, mentally exhausted from the day of worry. She was asleep within five minutes.


	24. Promotion

Alex was back in her home town. There was a baby in her arms, cooing happily. Hawkeye appeared at one end of the street, and Charles at the other. Alex started walking towards Charles, the obvious father of the child. As Alex neared Charles, other people, his family by the looks of it, came and blocked her way. She couldn't get to Charles to give him the baby, even though he held his hands out to receive it. Alex turned and looked at Hawkeye. She walked towards him, and no-one blocked her path. However, when she tried to hand the child to Hawkeye, he ran away. Suddenly, all around her were exploding bombs, and she couldn't see Hawkeye or Charles anywhere. In her arms, the baby had turned cold, and when she looked down, it was no longer a baby, but a dead Korean girl, no older than five years old. Looking up, Alex could see a bomb falling towards her. She opened her mouth to scream, but it was too late.

Alex jumped awake from the dream as the tent door slammed loudly. Baker had stormed in, obviously in a bad mood.

'Haven't you any manners?' Jefferson snapped. 'Alex hasn't been feeling well.' Jefferson and Kellye were sitting on Jefferson's cot with cards in their hands. Obviously, they'd snuck in earlier that night without waking her.

Baker gave Alex a dark look. 'It's your fault I'm back so early anyway,' she said bitterly. 'Nothing happened and it was because Hawkeye was too busy thinking about you. He wouldn't shut up about you. I wish you hadn't come back to the 4077th. We'd have our old Hawkeye back.' She stormed out again, leaving the other three nurses shocked.

'Damn, I am good at screwing things up, aren't I?' Alex muttered to the other two nurses, her head in her hands.

'Don't mind her,' Jefferson said, standing up. 'You can't help it if Hawkeye is still attracted to you. It'll pass soon.'

'I don't know if it will. My life is just so complicated right now,' Alex said. 'It's Fate's way of messing with me.' Jefferson and Kellye glanced at each other.

'It's not that bad,' Kellye said, getting up and wrapping an arm around Alex's shoulders. 'It could be worse.'

'How?' Alex asked sourly.

'Hawkeye could have forgotten you completely,' Jefferson said after a pause where Kellye tried to think of something.

* * *

Over the next few days, Nurse Baker ignored Alex completely. It angered the red head that Baker was holding her responsible for Hawkeye's reactions the previous night. She tended to avoid Baker now, and Hawkeye. He and BJ were always inviting her over to the officer's club, Rosie's, or the Swamp for a drink, but Alex constantly refused. Obviously, she hated having to ignore BJ as well, but that could lead to her spilling the truth about Tokyo. That was the last thing she needed.

It was the day before Alex was to see Charles at Rosie's. The wounded didn't show any signs of coming in, and Klinger reported that there were no major manoeuvres being performed within a fifty mile radius of the 4077th during the next few days. She was sitting quietly in Klinger's office, waiting to be called in to see Colonel Potter. Klinger had come and got her just twenty minutes before, but she hadn't been allowed in because he was halfway through a call from the states. Something to do with the curtains in the Potter's living room. Every now and then, Alex would be able to hear parts of the conversation.

'No, dear, I don't think they need replacing.'

'I'm not sure he's reputable. You'd be better off ringing Joe to put them in.'

'I'm sure whatever you've picked will look just fine. You've always had a flare for colour.'

Eventually, Alex was called in. Alex turned slightly pale at the thought of going in, she didn't know how much news of what she'd done in Tokyo had come through. Maybe that General had called to complain about the eggs in his hat.

'Sit down, Lieutenant,' Potter said, motioning towards the chair. Alex sat nervously. She hated it when people went all military on her, and called her "lieutenant" or "ma'am". It meant something big was happening when Colonel Potter used it with her.

Alex sat, her palms feeling sweaty. 'Don't fret,' Potter said, noticing her shaking slightly. 'This isn't about the fireworks you lit in that bath house.' Damn. Someone told him about that.

'What is this about then, sir?' Alex asked. If he was going to be formal, then so was she.

'Have a drink,' Potter said, pushing a glass in Alex's direction. She took it gladly, but it slipped from her fingers and spilt over the table.

'Hell, I'm sorry, sir,' Alex said hurriedly, standing up and pulling a handkerchief from her pocket to soak up the mess.

'No, it's ok. This is why you don't operate in surgery,' Potter said. 'I guess it's a nervous thing.' Alex nodded, her face red from the accident. Potter refilled her glass, but Alex didn't take it. She left it on the desk, mentally cursing her injuries that prevented her from doing anything she wanted.

'Now, you know the army,' Potter started. 'They tend to be a little slow at times.'

'Oh god, they didn't tell my family I'm dead or anything?' Alex asked, worried. Hawkeye had told her several times about the time he'd be declared dead. It was her worst fear in the war, apart from actually dying.

'According to the army, you're still alive,' Potter reassured her. 'They still think you assist at the operating table, which is the 4077th's little secret.'

'Then what has the army done this time?' Alex asked. Potter smiled.

'You seem to think this is going to be bad,' he said.

'It's the army. It's always bad,' Alex said.

'Not this time,' Potter said. 'It turns out, while Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake was here, he put you up for promotion.' Alex's jaw dropped.

'What?' she asked weakly. 'So now I'm a Captain?' Potter shook his head.

'Not quite,' he said. 'It seems your last CO, a Major Evans, he also put you up for promotion.'

'Oh my god,' Alex said. She went to pick up her drink, but remembered her arm was playing up. So instead, she used her right hand. She drained the drink, and stared Potter in the eye. 'This isn't some kind of joke at my expense, right?' she asked. Potter shook his head.

'No,' he said, with the hint of a smile on his face. 'However, it does mean you are a Major.' Alex almost dropped the glass again. A Major? She hated the military, and now she outranked _all_ of her friends. The others were going to kill her. She turned her attention back to Colonel Potter when she realised he was talking to her again.

'Now, for some reason, they wanted it all to be very hush-hush,' he was saying. 'No big parades outside the camp, no Generals to give you honours or anything. I guess that's why it took so dang long for the orders to be put through.' He stood up, and handed Alex two small pins. 'I now promote you to Major,' he said. 'Talk to Klinger about getting the stripes on your uniform. He's good at that sort of thing.' Potter stopped when he realised what he'd said.

'I know, I find it hard to think of him wearing uniform too, sir,' Alex said. Potter smiled at her, and gave her a quick salute.

'I suppose you'll want to go spread the news,' he said. Alex nodded, and walked rather quickly out of the office, while Potter was left to contemplate the new curtains that would greet him when and if he got home.


	25. Rosie's

**Kooshball note:** Ok, yeah, I know it's probably not possible for someone to get two promotions like Alex did in a row, but I've been putting her through all kinds of hell. It's about time she got something nice, don't you think?

* * *

Alex held off telling anyone about her double promotion for a while. No doubt Colonel Potter would tell everyone the grand news sooner or later, but she didn't want to be treated differently. Not just yet. 

She was waiting in Rosie's bar for Charles nervously, in the back room reserved for private parties. She gave a small shiver when she realised this was where Hawkeye, Trapper and Radar had said goodbye to Henry Blake, and Alex gave him a mental salute. She'd never known he'd put her up for a promotion. In fact, it should never have come through at all, since she was discharged from the army between when he would have put in for a promotion and the actual promotion. She fingered the pins in her pocket, wondering what the others would say when they found out. Margaret would be disgusted, and definitely complain. She wasn't so sure about Hawkeye and Beej, though. Would they be happy for her, or would they believe she'd become a strict army officer, like the other Majors they had encountered? She'd have to prove to them that she was still the fun loving woman they knew. Maybe she'd pull a prank on Charles or something.

Just at that moment, Charles came in. A tingle went down Alex's spine; it was eerie that he'd appear the moment she thought of playing a trick on him. Maybe even a sign not to do anything. Maybe he was psychic. He'd want to know what she had in store for him next, so he would be ready for it.

'Penny for your thoughts,' he offered, seeing her thinking.

'Holy cow, you are psychic,' she blurted out. Charles frowned as he sat down, obviously confused.

'What?' he asked slightly irritably.

'Nothing,' she said, blushing slightly. Charles gave her a look, but didn't say anything else. 'Oh,' Alex said quickly. 'I'm not pregnant.'

'How do you know? Are you sure?' Charles asked, leaning forward. Alex rolled her eyes.

'Charles, you call yourself a doctor and you honestly don't know how _I_ know I'm not pregnant?' she asked. Charles sat back in his chair. 'Disappointed?' Alex asked after a while. To tell the truth, she had been slightly disappointed too. True, she didn't want to put Charles through the misery of having to admit he had gone to bed with the likes of her, but her sister's coming child put a certain degree of pressure on Alex to have her own.

Charles nodded. 'Slightly,' he admitted. Alex smiled a little, leaning back onto the wall. At least he had seemed willing to give everything up for her. It was always nice to know that she could mean that much to someone, even if it was only because he would have been sharing the genes with the child.

'I don't know if it's gotten around yet,' Alex started on her second big news, 'but I got promoted.' Charles looked up, either truly interested in this piece of information, or just feigning it. 'And I didn't just make Captain, either,' Alex continued. 'Turns out I'm now Major Dustin.'

'Congratulations,' Charles said excitedly. Alex felt kind of disappointed with his reaction. She had been expecting loud yells, dancing crazily around the room, that sort of thing. She'd half hoped she'd shock him into behaving _normally_. Or at least like Hawkeye would have reacted if they were still together. 'How did you get promoted twice?' Charles was asking. Alex shook her head to get out of her imagination, and forced a smile. It wasn't as hard as she thought it'd be.

'Two different CO put me up at different times, and they both got finalised yesterday,' Alex explained.

'I think this calls for a drink,' Charles offered. Alex perked up a little at the idea of a drink as Charles called for Rosie.

'What'll it be?' Rosie asked, sticking her head in.

'Alex?' Charles asked Alex.

'Whisky,' she replied. 'You know how I like it, thanks Rosie.'

'I'll have the same, then,' Charles said. The Korean woman nodded and retreated quickly. 'So what does this mean?' he asked.

'Well, I guess I'll have to help out in Post op more often, and the nurses will treat me like some sort of power monster for a while…' Alex said, counting off her fingers.

'No,' Charles said urgently. 'I mean, what does this promotion mean for us?' Alex gave him a strange look; she had no idea what he meant. Charles sighed, as Rosie came in with their drinks. Charles waited for her to leave again before explaining himself to Alex.

'I'm a Major,' he said. 'You are a Major. Surely this means you feel that you can be seen in public with me more freely?'

'Hell, Charles,' Alex said raising her voice. 'All you men are the same, aren't you? Find a girl and settle down, right?' She picked up her drink, and drained it in one go. She sighed, staring in the bottom of her glass.

'Sorry,' she finally said. 'I've just had so many bad relationships, it's not worth bothering any more. Even though, you have to be the biggest gentleman on the face of Korea.'

'It's worth it,' Charles said. Alex sighed again.

'Maybe,' she said, standing up. 'Look, Charles, I'll think about giving it a chance—'

'Alex, is that you?' BJ asked, coming into the room. He stopped when he saw Charles there. 'Oh,' he simply said. It wasn't hard to realise what he was thinking.

'It's not what you think, BJ,' Alex said quickly. 'Remember what sort of stupid mistakes I made when I assumed things.'

'What is this then?' BJ asked. Alex was stuck. What could she say?

'A celebration drink,' Charles said calmly. Alex and BJ both looked at Charles. 'Haven't you heard?' Charles asked BJ. 'Alex has been promoted.'

'A promotion?' BJ asked Alex excitedly. He gave the nurse a hug, and swung her around. Alex giggled. _This_ was the reaction she'd been expecting. 'So that'd make you a Captain, right?' BJ was asking. Alex shook her head, smiling slyly.

'I got two promotions in one hit,' she said. 'I'm now _Major_ Dustin.'

'Hell, Alex!' BJ said. 'How long were you going to wait until you told us?' Alex shrugged.

'I don't want the attention that comes with being a Major,' she said with a grin. 'And can you imagine what Margaret is going to be like when she finds out?'

'She'll flip,' BJ agreed. He was still grinning. Suddenly, he stood up straight, and saluted Alex.

'Cut it out,' Alex ordered, hitting him playfully on the arm.

'How long have you known?' BJ demanded.

'Since yesterday,' Alex said.

'How could you hold onto something as big as this without exploding?' BJ asked. He calmed himself down a little, still grinning maniacally. Charles was still sitting calmly in the corner, sipping his drink. He watched Alex interact with the other surgeon, and something flooded his mind. Was it love, with maybe just a hint of jealousy? It was sometimes hard to tell.

'You've gotta tell Hawk,' BJ said. 'We'll go to the officer's club to celebrate, and when we get kicked out, we'll go back to the Swamp. We'll have a hangover that lasts a week!' Alex glanced over at Charles, seeing him pretend to not mind being ignored. She knew he did mind, and for a split moment, felt sorry for him.

'As much as I'd like to celebrate with you guys,' Alex said, stepping back a little from the thrilled surgeon, 'I owe a night with the nurses.'

'Ok, tomorrow night then,' BJ said. 'You deserve that promotion, Alex, you really do.'

'You're just saying that,' Alex laughed. 'There are more people out there that deserve a promotion.' BJ left, probably to go find Hawkeye and everyone else in camp, and Alex stood awkwardly in front of Charles.

'Good thinking,' she said.

'They will wonder why you told me first,' Charles said. Alex shrugged.

'I'll lie,' she replied. There was a pause, and Alex shuffled her feet a little. 'Listen, I've decided I want to give this relationship a go, but it has to stay quiet for a little while at least, alright?' Charles' face lit up.

'What made you change your mind?' he wanted to know. Alex smiled gently.

'Why _did_ I tell you about my promotion first?' Alex asked. 'Maybe, way down, I know Hawkeye is never going to settle down, no matter how much he thinks he loves me. He's not the commitment type. It's time I moved on and forget him.' Charles stood up and gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth. Alex gave him a smile before leaving the room. She had plans to make with the nurses.

* * *

**Kooshball note:** Now, a few people were commenting about the way my characters dance around fights/relationships, and I'm sorry about that. You're absolutely right. Hopefully, they'll stop doing this soon, and get on with it. 


	26. Celebration

Alex opened the bottle and poured the contents into five different glasses. Kellye, Jefferson and two nurses from a different tent were celebrating with her that night about her promotion. Not many people knew yet, just the Colonel, Klinger, Charles, BJ and all of the nurses, save for Margaret. Alex didn't know if they'd spread the news at all yet, though she didn't think so. She would have had people knocking on her tent door all night to say congratulations all night otherwise.

Somehow, Alex had managed to provide a few bottles of booze around and some "party" food, consisting mainly of pretzels, sweet biscuits and another box from home of rum brownies. Actually, Klinger had helped her find most of it, but none of the other nurses cared. They just knew Alex had been promoted to Major and they were celebrating.

As well as Kellye and Jefferson, Nurses Crystal and Marple had joined the celebration. Crystal was a blond nurse, with large blue eyes. She'd been one of the nurses Hawkeye had been seeing whilst Alex was on R and R.

Marple was a young woman, just over from the states. She had gingery brown hair, like the colour of ginger biscuits, and soft, brown eyes. She looked a lot younger than she actually was, and the nurses tended to treat her like she was still in junior high. She was slightly naïve, but she seemed to grasp onto ideas around camp pretty quickly.

'Hang on,' Alex said, a brownie in her hand. 'I'm going to get Major Houlihan.'

'Major Houlihan?' Nurse Crystal whined. 'She won't come. In fact, she'll probably tell us to knock the whole thing off.'

'Margaret isn't that bad,' Alex said firmly. 'And the invitation was open to all nurses. She may be hard on us, but she's still a nurse.'

'Go get her,' Kellye said. 'We don't mind.' She gave Crystal a look to make the other nurse shut up. After all, it was Alex's party, and she could invite who she wanted.

'Maybe it'll loosen Margaret up,' suggested Nurse Marple. Alex left the tent, hyped up from all the excitement. Margaret won't be too annoyed Alex had been promoted, she decided. She'd be happy for the red head nurse.

* * *

It was just ten minutes before Alex left the nurses tent, Hawkeye entered Major Houlihan's tent. He had gone in looking for the Head Nurse who had meant to start a Post op shift twenty minutes ago. Margaret's light had been on, so he barged in without invitation.

He found Margaret sitting on her unmade cot, curled up with her pillow on her lap, and a piece of paper in her hand. There were letters scattered on the cot around Margaret, some ripped up, most still in tact.

'You ok?' Hawkeye asked Margaret gently. The head nurse jumped, having not heard him come in.

'Just reading over all the love letters Donald sent me,' she said as Hawkeye sat down and picked up a letter.

'And Frank,' he said. Margaret snatched it back.

'Most are from Donald,' she snapped.

'Are you sure you're ok?' Hawkeye asked. Margaret started crying harder.

'No,' she wailed. Hawkeye comforted her, holding her close to him. After a few minutes, Margaret pulled away, still sniffing slightly. 'You're a good friend,' she said.

'Not really,' Hawkeye said. 'If I was such a good friend, would Alex be ignoring me?'

'She's probably just rethinking her life,' Margaret said.

'Maybe we can't be just good friends,' Hawkeye muttered loudly. 'Maybe we can't take it back to what it was like when she first came.'

'Maybe you should stop worrying,' Margaret suggested.

'Maybe,' Hawkeye said. 'Look, I came here for a reason. You had Post op twenty minutes ago.' He paused for a moment. 'However, if you want to skip that tonight, I'll cover for you.' Margaret gave him a thankful look.

'I'll come,' she said. 'I can be there in a few minutes.'

'Take the night off,' Hawkeye insisted. 'No-one will know.'

'Thanks, Hawkeye,' Margaret said, staring up at him. Hawkeye gave her a friendly smile.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, and Alex yelled in 'Hello, Margaret?' Hawkeye fell off the cot with a noisy bang, having been startled by the yell, and Margaret hurried to help him up.

'Just wait a minute,' she hollered to Alex, sounding a little stressed. She tried pulling Hawkeye up quickly, but just succeeded in getting herself worked up.

'Go answer her,' Hawkeye was hissing at Margaret, struggling to stand. Margaret went to the door, her nightdress hanging off one shoulder. Alex came in before she had a chance to open the door.

'Hey, Margaret, we're having a party in my tent, do you want to come?' Alex asked, looking around the tent. What she saw was this: Hawkeye standing up near the cot with his hair mussed and looking slightly panicky at being caught, Margaret with her nightdress hanging crookedly like it had been pulled on in a hurry, the messy covers on the cot. Alex's expression darkened.

'Obviously you have plans already for tonight,' she said coldly, looking at Hawkeye when she said this. 'I won't bother you two any more.' She turned to go out, but stopped at the door. 'And in case you were interested, I got promoted yesterday,' she added, slamming the tent door, leaving Hawkeye and Margaret to take in what had just happened.

'Did she say she's been promoted?' they asked each other in unison.

* * *

Alex arrived back at the nurse's tent, angry and upset. There were tears on her cheeks, but she ignored them as she poured herself a glass of scotch, drinking it before it had time to settle properly in the glass.

'Is she coming?' Nurse Marple asked. Alex just drained a second glass. The other four nurses watched quietly as she had a third, then a fourth. She dropped her glass, and swore loud and long. Eventually, Alex calmed down, and looked around the tent.

'Come on,' she said bitterly. 'I thought we were meant to be partying?'


	27. Story

**IMPORTANT!**

**Kooshball note:** A completely unnecessary and especially violent filler on how Alex got hurt when she first came to the 4077th at the beginning of "Eyes of a Nurse". I'm not sure _how_ bloody and violent it really is, so let me know what you think if you read it.

* * *

All five nurses laughed at the joke. It was three or four hours after Alex had "caught" Hawkeye and Margaret together, but she'd almost forgotten the whole thing. She was too busy celebrating with her closest nurse friends.

'And how did you get promoted after setting that Major's toupee on fire?' Marple asked between fits of giggling. Alex stopped laughing, sombre.

'I was thinking about that this afternoon,' she said. The other nurses stopped, and looked at Alex. She sat on her cot, and stared at the floor. 'I think I've figured out why.' Jefferson sat on the cot beside Alex, and hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders.

'How?' she asked.

Alex looked up again, her eyes wet. 'Before I first arrived here, at the 4077th, I'd been trained by one of the best surgeons in the country. Major Andy Cameron. He could fix a man in twenty minutes, and his success rate was higher than the 4077th's. He flirted with me, and I flirted back. We had some fun together, but eventually, the camp was over run by the enemy.' Alex paused to take a drink.

'He was killed, protecting me. I'd have died too, had the American army not arrived. I escaped with bruising, and a scar.' Her finger traced the scar on her cheek. 'I found out he had a fiancée back home. If he hadn't been dead, I'd have killed him myself. I eventually got over it, and came to the 4077.

'Life here was great. Drinking, gambling, it was my idea of heaven, besides the wounded, the bombing, and the entire war, I guess. Well, we got attacked by a solitary Korean. Sounds stupid, doesn't it? Well, you tell me how stupid it is, when a man is standing on the roof of an ambulance with a gun pointed towards your head.' Alex looked around at the nurses watching her with wide eyes. 'I saved a few people, Klinger, a surgeon called Trapper, myself. And Major Margaret Houlihan. She was nicer to me after that. She treated me like a real person for saving her. I'm assuming it was because of that incident, the last CO of here put me up for promotion.'

'What about the second promotion?' Crystal asked quietly. Alex smiled grimly to herself.

'I was at another MASH,' she said. 'I had adjusted ok, to the work. The nurses, the doctors and the corpsmen however, they didn't like me. They thought I was a tomboy. Maybe even… different, if you catch my drift.' Marple shook her head.

'What do you mean?' she asked. Alex fixed her with a stare, and the nurse flinched back.

'They thought I was queer,' she said. 'That I didn't chase men, at all, just women. That wasn't the case. I tried not to flirt with the men in camp too much; a lot were married, and there was a man there that condemned you for that sort of thing. I don't know where the idea came from. I never hit on them or anything like that. Even the fact I had been pregnant didn't change their minds. Only the second in command didn't mind me, Major Evans. I don't know why he thought differently from the others.'

Jefferson handed the box of rum brownies around, and each other nurses took one wordlessly. Except Alex. She stared past the box as if it wasn't there, and Jefferson soon put the box down.

'It was a few months ago. Just before I came here again. There was heavy bombing near us and everything shook. I risked my life pushing one of the other nurses out of the way of a flying piece of metal. She didn't thank me, she just spat at me. I tried to take order, the CO was dead, and no-one else was willing. Sure, Major Evans was my superior, now in command, but he was young, he had no experience in this sort of thing. He just followed my lead. That's how I got the second promotion, I'm guessing.'

'You came here all beaten up,' Jefferson said softly. Alex nodded.

'I'd made all of the personnel go into the mess tent. It was the closest thing we had to a proper shelter. I was in the kitchen, with some of the higher ranking surgeons and nurses, yelling at each other about what we should do. A bomb struck us, and the building began collapsing.' Alex's voice faltered a moment. 'The roof came down, killing the nurse nearest me and the torn metal ripped its way through my shoulder. As I fell with it, my leg got cut on a dirty knife, lying on the floor. Our kitchen was not known for its cleanliness, or its organisation. I was trapped under the roof, with the dead nurse within reach, and blood and screaming all around me.' Alex stopped again, licking her dry lips.

'Maybe I should stop,' she suggested, noticing the pale faces of her friends.

'No, go on,' Marple insisted. The others nodded, though they all looked a little horrified.

'I was stuck there for god only knows how long. Evans found me, and went looking for help, because I think many of the others were dead or seriously injured. I'd blacked out within half an hour of him finding me,' Alex continued. 'My shoulder was burning with pain, and my leg was starting to feel numb. I thought they were going to have to amputate it, but I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought. I was lying on mud, from the blood of the nurse next to me. I started hallucinating in the short while I was awake. I could see my brother, standing over me sadly, shaking his head. He was bloody too, and there were scars ripped across his face, his arms, the flesh barely hanging onto the bone. His clothes were torn and bloody; it was almost impossible to tell they were originally fatigues.' Alex looked around again. The others were horrified at what she was describing, but motioned for her to go on when she stopped.

'He spoke to me. _I love you,_ he said, smiling sadly at me. _But others love you, too, so I have to leave you here, for now._ "No," I said to him. "Take me with you. Save me, Isaac." He just smiled, and closed his eyes as he bowed to me. I blacked out, and woke up in the 4077th. I couldn't believe that I had ended up back here. Back with my friends. Back with the lying son of a bitch I thought I loved.' Her sudden bitter tone made the others jump, but Alex didn't notice. She just smiled gently, her tone turning soft again. 'I guess it could have been worse, it could have been my sister out there, instead of me.'

There was a silence in the tent that lasted a few minutes.

'Come on,' Kellye said, trying to be cheerful. 'You've been promoted, so we should be celebrating.' Alex smiled.

'Yeah,' she said. 'Who's up for another drink?' The women scrambled for the bottle of whisky left on the table, and quickly tried to forget the tale Alex had just told them. It wasn't too hard, amongst the loud and off key singing, and laughter at each other's drunken attempts to keep a tune.

It was harder for Alex to forget though. She'd lost her ability to use her arm most of the time, she'd lost 50 percent of her eyesight in one eye, and she had to limp everywhere. Every time she dropped a glass and it shattered, or anything else for that matter, all she could hear were the screams of tearing metal and the shrieks of the nurse beside her as she died. She wondered what it had been like for her brother, hurt, at a MASH unit, doctors refusing to operate on him because of what he was. Alex believed she had lost more than anyone should during a war.


	28. Over

Alex woke up with her head pounding. She could remember most of last night, which was probably a good thing, but the parts she wanted to forget were wedged in her mind, clear as a plane of glass. She groaned and sat up, glancing at the other nurses asleep on their cots. Marple and Crystal had left not too much longer after Alex told them about what happened at her last post. Jefferson and Kellye had been insistent on continuing the celebrations without them, however, for a few hours at least. There was no sign of Baker having been in the tent since sometime yesterday, but Alex didn't care about that. She got up, a hand held to her head as pain rushed through it. Picking her way across the messy tent, Alex decided that the one thing she wanted at that moment was coffee.

Going outside was even worse than standing up. Shielding her eyes against the light, she stumbled across the compound, heading in the general direction of the mess tent. It took her a moment or two to figure out how to open the door when she reached it, and she staggered in, sitting down for a moment at one of the tables to recover.

'Coffee?' someone asked her after a few minutes of sitting there with her head resting in her hands. Alex nodded, deciding maybe alcohol was the cause of her problems, not the solution. She'd have to cut back. Alex wasn't even sure she recognised the voice offering to get her a coffee.

'You come here often?' the person asked her a few minutes later as they put a mug in front of her. She couldn't help but smile, realising that there was only one person it could be.

'Thanks, Hawkeye,' she said, sipping at her coffee.

'You said something about a promotion last night?'

'Yeah.'

'So now you're a Captain.'

'Not quite. Try Major.'

'What? How'd that happen?'

Alex flinched. 'Hey, keep it down. My head doesn't need any yelling this morning.'

'But how did you make Major? The army hasn't changed their regulations again, has it?'

'Yes, Hawkeye. Captain is now a higher rank than Major.' Alex cringed again. Even sarcasm hurt this morning. 'I got promoted twice.'

'How does that work?' Hawkeye wanted to know.

'Ask BJ or Potter,' Alex explained. 'I can't be bothered explaining it this morning.' There was a long pause as Alex sipped her coffee with her eyes closed, waiting for Hawkeye to say something.

'I suppose that's what you were doing last night,' he said. 'Celebrating with the nurses.'

'Mmm,' Alex replied. Another pause.

'I'm sorry about last night,' Hawkeye said. 'It wasn't what it looked like.'

'It's ok,' Alex said.

'No it's not,' Hawkeye said. 'You deserve an explanation.'

'No, I don't, Hawkeye,' Alex said, sounding as forceful as she could without aggravating her headache too much. 'We're not dating any more, remember? If you want to date Margaret or the other nurses, then fine. Just like if I want to date Charles, I can.'

'What!' Alex cringed again. 'Sorry,' Hawkeye said.

'Something happened in Tokyo,' Alex explained. 'And now Charles wants to see me more often.'

'He can't,' Hawkeye said stubbornly.

'Why not?'

Hawkeye was stuck for an answer. 'Because,' he said childishly after a moment.

'So it's ok for you to start dating again, but not for me?' Alex asked.

'Exactly.'

'Please don't make it any harder than it already is,' Alex pleaded.

'How am I making it harder?' Hawkeye wanted to know.

'I'm still having trouble getting over you, when you seem to have forgotten me just like that,' Alex said. She gave a small, bitter smile. 'I'm just the forgettable woman.'

'You're very _un_forgettable,' Hawkeye said. Alex gave a short, bitter laugh, ignoring the pounding in her head for a moment.

'Do you know how many relationships I've been in?' she asked. 'Every single guy I've dated has gone on to marry someone else, or date a million more people, without giving me a second thought. I must be pretty average for them to do that.'

'If you were average, Charles wouldn't want to see you,' Hawkeye said, sounding slightly upset. _If you were average, I wouldn't love with you_, he thought.

Alex didn't hear the upset undertone of his words; her head was still trying to get around drinking her coffee and listening at the same time.

'Maybe,' she said. There was a pause as Hawkeye thought about what to say next.

'I hope everything works out for you,' he said finally, laying his hand over hers. She looked up and smiled at him.

'Thanks,' she said.

* * *

Alex was in the Swamp later on, sitting on Charles' cot with the Major beside her. Charles was muttering something quietly into her ear, and she was sitting there, listening. Her eyes were closed, and there was a look of content on her face. She loved poetry, and Charles seemed to know many beautiful poems. Beautiful like her, he told her. Alex would always smile at this, and then ask him politely to continue with the poetry.

Hawkeye walked in while they were doing this, with his towel over his shoulder. Charles stopped whispering for a moment, and slid his arm away from Alex's waist.

'Don't mind me,' Hawkeye said, putting his towel on a hook near his cot.

'He knows about us,' Alex added to Charles.

'Oh.' His arm slid back around Alex's waist. Hawkeye noticed, but didn't say anything about it.

'You're much more reasonable when you're hung over,' he commented to Alex instead. 'Our discussion this morning didn't end up with one of us storming off.' Alex smiled.

'I don't like yelling when I have a hang over,' she said. 'Anyway, I should be helping Kellye and Jefferson clean up our tent. We made a pretty big mess, and Baker will be on our backs about it until it's spotless. I'll see both of you later, ok?' She gave Charles a quick peck on the cheek, stood up and left the tent, probably looking happier than she had for a long while.

'Hey, Charles?' Hawkeye said. 'I know we don't always see eye to eye on stuff, but can you do me a favour?'

'What?' Charles asked cautiously.

'Take care of her,' Hawkeye said.

* * *

'Ugh, how did we make such a big mess in one night?' Alex asked.

'Where are Crystal and Marple? They could be helping,' Jefferson complained.

'Hey, you guys aren't going to treat me any different now I'm a major, right?' Alex asked. 'I mean, I'm still the same person to you, aren't I?'

'Of course you are,' Kellye said. She gave Alex a salute, and Alex threw a pillow at her.

'Cut it out,' she said. 'If I didn't act military when I was a lieutenant, what makes you think I'd be military as a major?'

'Sorry, Alex,' Kellye said with a grin. 'I'm just joking around.' There was a sharp knock on the door, and the three nurses looked up.

'Yo?' Alex said, opening the door. Margaret was standing there, a soured look on her face.

'Colonel Potter told me of your promotion,' she said. 'Congratulations.' There was something in her tone that suggested she wasn't happy with Alex's new rank.

'Is there a problem, Major?' Alex asked.

'No, Lieutenant—I mean, Major,' Margaret said. 'However, this means you will be moving into my tent.'

'What? Why?' Alex demanded. Jefferson and Kellye paused from cleaning to listen.

'You're a major now, and are no longer required to sleep in the nurse's tent,' Margaret said.

'Look, Margaret,' Alex said patiently. 'I wouldn't move in with you when there wasn't room in the nurse's quarters, what makes you think I'll be moving in there when I have an empty cot here?'

'It's regulations, Dustin!' Margaret yelled. Alex, Jefferson and Kellye all cringed with the noise.

'I'd rather stay here. Hell, even moving back into the Swamp would be better for me,' Alex said. 'And I know you'd rather I stayed out of your tent as well. You like your privacy, Major, and I'm not going to be the one to intrude on it. We can go see Colonel Potter about it, if you like, but I'm going to stay here, whether he orders me to move into your tent or not.'

'You are impossible!' Margaret yelled. Alex nodded happily after cringing from the pain again.

'I try my hardest,' she said. 'Margaret, I know you're scared of my taking over your post, but I am honestly no different to what I was a few days ago. Watch.' Alex stood up straight and gave Jefferson and Kellye a steely look. 'Double bedpan duty if you don't clean this tent up within the next ten minutes,' she ordered.

'Get off it, Dustin!' Kellye said, throwing an abandoned pretzel at her.

'See?' Alex said, turning back to Margaret. 'I can't order all of the nurses around like you do. You've got superiority, and you get things done. I'd get walked all over if I were to become Head Nurse.'

'If you think I'm angry about that--' Margaret started, but Alex held a hand up.

'If you really want me to move into your tent, and risk this,' Alex motioned to her own tent, 'then fine. I will bring my belongings over by thirteen hundred hours.' She closed the door firmly in Margaret's face, and then sat down on her cot, slightly pale. 'I can't believe I just told off Margaret Houlihan,' she said weakly. 'I am so demoted!'


	29. Majors

Alex wasn't demoted after telling Margaret where to get off. However, she was made to move out of the nurse's tent and made to share with Margaret.

'I'm sorry,' Potter had told Alex when the younger nurse went to complain. 'She is responsible for you, and I don't like to bully her about you nurses.'

Alex backed into the tent with one end of her cot, Klinger carrying the other. 'This isn't going to work,' Alex said when she let the cot drop in the spare corner of Margaret's tent. 'Look, there's barely enough room for another cot, let alone my footlocker and me.'

'We are going to make this work,' Margaret snapped, straightening her shirt.

'Uh, I'll leave you two to work it all out,' Klinger said before hurriedly leaving.

'Are you angry at me Margaret?' Alex asked. 'Is it because I got promoted to Major at a younger age than you did?' Even as she said it, Alex knew she'd gone too far.

'What?' Margaret screeched.

Only two words zapped through Alex's mind at the moment before she ran out of the tent.

_Uh-oh_.

She hadn't even made it three steps out the door when Margaret started throwing things at her; books, pillows, trinkets, her hairbrush. Alex covered the back of her head as she bolted, yelping with pain as the sharp corner of something hit her hand.

'Is that Alex?' BJ said with a laugh when he saw Alex as he and Hawkeye were heading for the showers.

'What's wrong?' Hawkeye asked, grabbing Alex as she tried to run past.

'I said the wrong thing to Margaret,' Alex said, stopping to check to see if the Major had followed her. 'I mentioned her age.' She glanced down at her hand, which was bleeding, quite badly.

'You're going to need a bandage over that,' Hawkeye said.

'I better go find a doctor,' Alex said, pressing her hand over the cut, the blood pushing through her fingers. Hawkeye and BJ looked at each other.

'We're doctors,' BJ said.

'I meant a competent doctor,' Alex said with a teasing grin. 'Charles wouldn't want either of you two anywhere near my injuries.'

'Ouch, that hurts,' BJ said with a laugh. Alex gave them one last smile, then walked off to look for Charles. 'You ok?' BJ asked when he noticed Hawkeye wasn't saying anything.

'Huh? Yeah, why wouldn't I be alright?' Hawkeye asked maybe a little too quickly. 'Come on.' He continued towards the showers, BJ following with a slightly confused look on his face.

Alex found Charles on Post op. When he saw the crimson blood on her hands, he strode over quickly.

'You're bleeding,' he said, taking her hands in his and checking the cut, concern written clearly over his face. 'What happened?'

'Disagreement with Margaret,' Alex replied, forcing a smile on her face. 'I think I'm going to hate living with her.'

Charles led Alex to one of the general treatment rooms. 'Maybe you should move out,' Charles suggested as he dressed the wound.

'Margaret has already requisitioned a nurse. She'll be in my spot in the nurse's tent,' Alex said. She winced as Charles bandaged the cut. 'Hey, maybe I could move into the Swamp!'

'What?' Charles stopped a moment.

'Yeah, I've spent a few weeks in the Swamp before,' Alex said enthusiastically. 'There's enough room, and I'll keep my corner clean. The Swamp is big enough, I could even set up my own sort of "room".'

'Absolutely not,' Charles said. 'I will not have you share a tent with those… animals.'

'Charles,' Alex said patiently. 'I happen to be friends with those animals. Besides, there's less chance of them playing pranks on you if I'm there.'

'They do not play pranks on me,' Charles said huffily.

'Come on, Charles,' Alex said. 'What about the time they replaced your tape to your parents with one of them burping "Stars and Stripes", huh? Or the time your cot mysteriously wound up in the latrines? What do you call those?'

'I get my own back,' Charles said.

'I know,' Alex said, grinning. Hawkeye and BJ's mail from home had been held back for a month after the tape gag, and after Charles had found his tent, he had "arranged" for the roof of the Swamp above their cots to be cut out, allowing the rain in. 'You have an interesting flare for revenge.'

'I do not trust them,' Charles insisted.

'Meaning you don't trust Hawkeye,' Alex said. 'I wouldn't worry, Charles.' She wriggled along the table, closer to him. 'There's only one man I love.'

* * *

'Dear Mother and Father,' Charles said into the small microphone attached to his tape recorder. 'Alexia Dustin has moved into the Swamp, temporarily, if I can help it. She cannot stay in the nurse's quarters, due to her new position, and Major Houlihan does not wish to share her tent with Alexia.' He paused, and Alex looked up from her cot, now in the spare corner of the Swamp.

'So they know about you and me?' she asked softly. She seemed sort of pleased about that. Charles nodded, shooting her a smile. No doubt if Hawkeye had been there, he would have complained about the puppy-dog looks Charles kept giving Alex.

'I do not wish her to share with the philistines I have to share with, but she is insistent. Alexia has stayed in the Swamp before, but that was when she was in a relationship with Pierce.' Charles stopped abruptly.

'What?' Alex asked, noticing him stop the tape a moment.

'Would you like to say something to them?' Charles asked.

'Like what?' Alex laughed. '"Hi, I'm the woman your son has fallen head over heels with"?' Charles shrugged.

'Whatever you feel is appropriate,' he said, holding the mike over to her. Alex took it, smiled at Charles and pressed the record button.

'Uh, hi, Mr and Mrs Winchester. I'm Alexia, Charles just wanted me to say he was doing ok, and he was keeping an eye on me and everything, and doing well over here. Maybe a little under nourished, but I think we're all like that. Uh, hope you're all well, and that the war ends quickly so you can see your son soon,' she said, giggling as she switched it off and handed it back over to Charles. He smiled at her, then continued his recording.

'I wish you could meet her, mother,' Charles continued. 'She is beautiful, and I believe you would both find you have a lot in common. But like Alexia said, hopefully this war will finish soon, and we can leave this godforsaken hellhole of a mud puddle.' He stopped it again when Hawkeye came in.

'Hey kids, having fun?' he asked, heading for the still.

'Hawk, the beaker is over here,' Alex said, holding up the crystal jug partly full of gin. Hawkeye retrieved it, and poured himself a drink.

'Pierce,' Charles said, giving him a vague nod.

'So what's this doing in here?' Hawkeye asked, nodding towards the cot Alex was sitting on.

'I'm moving in,' Alex said. She grinned widely. 'Hey Bunkie,' she said.

'If you ever get scared by the war, feel free to share with me,' Hawkeye said. He noticed Charles glare at him, and he held up his hands in a friendly manner. 'Just kidding, Chuckles,' he said. To Alex, he said 'What happened to you staying with Margaret?'

'Remember how I told you I said the wrong thing to her?' Alex asked. Hawkeye nodded. 'I decided it would be best for my health if I vamoosed,' she said.

'Don't worry, Pierce, I have Klinger looking for another tent for her to stay in,' Charles said.

'Really?' Alex asked. 'I just told Klinger that he was, under no circumstances, to get me a tent, no matter who threatened him, because I am much worse with my threats. I'm staying in the Swamp, if you like it or not.'

* * *

**Kooshball Note:** Tell me what you think guys. I got no reviews for chapter 28 (After I poured my heart and soul into writing it) and I need reviews to keep me updating!


	30. Wounded

**Kooshball Note:** Hey, if you guys are fans of my "Not a TV show" and Kitty Kat Chan's "What the Hell is Going on?", me and Kitty have written a joint fic called "Give A Reason", found at the account, **Koosh and Kitty** once you're done reading this. Leave a review and keep an eye out for updates.

This has been a paid advertisement brought to you by Kooshball.

* * *

'A toast,' Alex said, lifting her glass up. She was in the Officer's club a few nights later, sharing a drink with Charles. The bandage on the back of her hand had been removed just a couple of hours before, and Alex now had a small, almost invisible scar on the back of her hand. 

'To what?' Charles asked dryly. 'To this mouldy, festering corner of the war?' Alex paused.

'To this mouldy, festering corner of the war,' she agreed. She sipped her wine with a smile as Charles shook his head.

'You are very strange at times,' he said. This made Alex smile even more.

'Surely not all of this is bad?' she asked, motioning around the officer's club. 'Cheap booze, free entertainment,' (one of the nurses was singing as Father Mulcahy played on the piano) 'and good company.' Alex gave a sly smile at this. 'Maybe a trip to the supply room after all this,' she said. 'You did want to go there a few weeks ago.'

'Unfortunately, my Alexia, I have post op duty.' Charles stood, somewhat hurriedly. He loved Alex, but occasionally her forwardness startled him into remembering she wasn't the sort of people he was used to. 'Business first.'

'Love second,' Alex finished for him, sounding slightly disappointed. She stood up as well, and Charles leant forward to give her a peck on the cheek.

'I will see you when I get off post op duty,' he promised.

'When will that be?' Alex asked.

'Six hundred hours.'

'Ok.' Alex definitely sounded upset this time. She liked being with Charles and being treated like royalty, especially in this hell hole of a war. 'Why are you on duty for so long?' she asked. 'I thought you only had to be on duty for three hours, usually.'

'I traded with Pierce and Hunnicutt for favours,' Charles explained. 'I did not realise I would be on duty for so long.' He sounded annoyed, ripped off. Which, Alex reasoned, he probably had been.

'I'll probably be in the Swamp when you get off,' she said. Charles nodded, then walked off. Alex sat down for a while, staring at the officer club's door, wondering what she would do that night.

'Hey,' a voice said, making her jump. A martini was placed in front of her, and Alex looked up into Hawkeye's blue eyes as he sat down.

'You wouldn't be stalking me, would you?' Alex asked teasingly. 'First the coffee in the mess tent a week ago, now a martini, just seconds after Charles leaves.'

'Just keeping you company,' Hawkeye insisted. 'Penny for your thoughts?' he asked after a moment.

'I've spent so many hours in here,' Alex said, looking around. 'I always took it for granted.'

'Yeah, I guess you're right,' Hawkeye said in surprise. Alex looked at him, and smiled.

'So what big favour did Charles ask you for him to be on duty so long?' she asked.

'I'm not allowed to tell,' Hawkeye said.

'Come on,' Alex said. 'Tell me.' Hawkeye shook his head with a grin. 'What if I guess it?' Alex asked. 'Then will you tell me?'

'Nope,' Hawkeye said.

'You're so mean,' Alex said, sipping her drink and her eyes dancing with fun.

'You're never like this usually,' Hawkeye said.

'Like what?' Alex wanted to know.

'Like you were when you were here at the 4077th and Henry was still CO,' Hawkeye said. 'You were always so cheerful and bright. It's good to see you like this again.'

'I guess the war gets to me sometimes and I can't act like that all the time,' Alex said, glancing away. Hawkeye laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

'Hey Klinger, how about a scotch?' Hawkeye yelled out as he took his hand away, a few moments later.

'One for me, too,' Alex added. Klinger looked up from the bar, and came over with two drinks a moment later.

'Hey kids, having fun?' Klinger asked, putting the glasses on the table. Alex bit her lip as she stared at her friend.

'Uh, Klinger?' she said quietly, tugging her ear lobes. Confused, Klinger put his hands to his ears to find a pair of earrings.

'I guess I miss the dresses sometimes,' he mumbled sheepishly as he pulled them off quickly. Alex smiled.

'So do I,' she whispered, winking.

'Thanks, Klinger,' Hawkeye said, seemingly undisturbed by the earrings as he picked up his scotch. Maybe he just hadn't noticed them. The Lebanese walked back to the bar, and Alex wondered if she was the only one to notice the low heels and stockings he was wearing under his uniform. She smiled to herself, but didn't say anything to Hawkeye.

'So, what was the favour you did Charles?' Alex asked. Hawkeye just grinned at her.

'Uh-uh, I'm not telling you,' he teased. Alex was about to say something else, but the crackling of the PA system cut her off.

'_There's a bunch of wounded coming into the compound, folks. Let's get cracking._'

'What a war,' Alex mumbled, standing up and pulling her jacket on before following Hawkeye out into the compound.

Wounded at night seemed worse than during the day. Doctors, nurses and corpsmen all running around seemed like shadows jumping to and fro, and it was impossible to keep track of one person's movements. She'd lost Hawkeye within moments. Alex stopped to check over a soldier on a stretcher beside a jeep.

'So, what happened?' she asked them, reading the tag.

'It was meant to be a surprise attack on the enemy,' the solider replied. He sounded no older than eighteen. 'They knew we were coming.'

'Poor kid,' Alex said, trying to sound sympathetic before moving on. 'You're not too bad, just sit back and relax.' The boy nodded in the dim light, and Alex turned to the next patient.

'Doctor,' she yelled out after reading the tag. 'Doctor!' she yelled louder and more impatiently when she went ignored.

'Sorry, Major,' Colonel Potter said, bending down beside her.

'This guy's pretty bad,' Alex said to him. 'Does he get a table first, or are there worse off than him?'

'Have a corpsman take him in,' Potter said. 'You go in and scrub up. Work with Jefferson today, she's on Pierce's table.'

'Yes sir,' Alex said, standing up and going inside to pre-op. She would be scrubbed within ten minutes.

The surgeons had already scrubbed and were elbow deep in blood when she arrived in OR. Alex went to Hawkeye's table, glanced over Jefferson's shoulder and asked 'So what's this guy in for?'

'Scalpel,' Hawkeye said to Jefferson. Alex waited for him to finish cutting. 'Belly wounds,' he said. 'Shrapnel pretty close to some major arteries and organs.' He looked up at Alex. 'You know, the usual.'

'Great,' Alex muttered, watching him work. 'It's going to be a hell of a long night.'

* * *

Jefferson yawned. 

'Hey, keep your eyes open, Jefferson,' Hawkeye said. 'Alex, will you close?'

'Come on, take a few hours sleep,' Alex said, shouldering her friend gently out of the way. 'That'll teach you for staying up late last night.'

'We've been operating for hours,' Jefferson yawned. 'I don't know how you guys do it.'

'We accepted the half hour breaks,' Alex said. 'Come on, go rest a half hour or so.' Nodding, Jefferson walked off. 'How much longer will this go on?' she asked, directing her question at Potter.

'Buck up,' Potter said. 'We're all tired, but the wounded can't keep coming forever.'

'Be one hell of a war if it did,' one of the other nurses mumbled.

'Klinger, need another patient,' Hawkeye said loudly. Alex resisted wiping her brow with her arm.

'How long have we been at this?' she asked.

'Too long,' Charles replied from behind her.

'When does BJ get back from his break? I could do with one,' Hawkeye said.

'No can do, you just had one. Just hang in there,' Potter said. 'How's that arm, Alex?'

'Steady as a rock,' Alex replied, looking at the Korean man Klinger and Father Mulcahy was carrying in. 'Hey, this guy doesn't appear to be in South Korean army _or_ villager uniform,' she said. As Klinger and Father Mulcahy put the man down, Alex's eyes went wide. Hawkeye had seen as well.

'Get down!' he yelled as he ducked. Alex threw herself onto the floor, managing to accidentally knock Charles and Klinger down as well.

That was about the same moment the hand grenade in the Korean's hand went off.


	31. Grenade

The lights flickered and swayed, and the screams and yells slowly died down. Alex forced her eyes open. Blood dripped from a small cut above her left eyebrow, caused by flying glass, but Alex didn't seem to notice. She was lying flat on her stomach, her ear pressed against the cold concrete and covered in tiny silvers of glass. Around her, she could hear whimpering of nurses around her. Alex opened her mouth.

'Is everyone ok?'

Alex swallowed air quickly without moving from her spot on the ground, trying to calm down. Potter repeated himself.

'Is everyone ok?' More forceful this time.

'I'm ok,' Hawkeye said.

'I think so,' Father Mulcahy said hoarsely.

'What the hell was that?' Charles demanded.

'Grenade,' Hawkeye said. 'Sometimes, an injured enemy will hold onto a live one until they're taken into surgery, and manage to kill a few doctors on our side.'

'Alex, are you alright?' Klinger was asking quietly, shaking the nurse's shoulder.

'Are any of my nurses hurt?' Margaret was saying loudly. Shakily, the other nurses called out that they were ok. Alex shuddered.

'Alex?' Hawkeye said.

'She won't talk to me,' Klinger said loudly. Alex heard Charles crawl quickly over to her.

'Alex?' he said. She felt him put his fingers under her cheekbone to check for a pulse as he rolled her onto her back. She lifted her head slightly, and looked up at him. Charles was staring down at her, worry in his pale blue eyes.

'She's ok,' he said, sounding relieved.

'Winchester, how's you patient?' Potter asked.

'Dead, sir,' Kellye replied. She had been the nurse assisting Charles, and the patient had been the first thing she'd checked, after making sure she was still alive, of course.

'I don't think I can save this one again,' Potter said after he had stood up. 'Poor kid. I hate making a decision like that, but there's others waiting.' Alex was helped into a sitting position by Charles. She was shaking, eyes wide at what had just happened. She didn't feel Charles' arms around her shoulders or the cut on her head that would need looking at by one of the others. She couldn't hear the others talk about how they had been lucky that time, and what precautions should be taken in the future.

'Damn war, near killed us,' Charles said.

'Where's the fun in a war if no one gets killed?' Hawkeye asked sarcastically.

'Cut it out,' Potter snapped before the two could start bickering. 'If you're ok to do so, Klinger, remove these bodies and bring in the next few wounded.' BJ burst into the OR, looking around wildly.

'Oh god, is everyone ok?' he asked.

'We're fine,' Hawkeye said.

'Jefferson said she'd just come off for a rest and heard an explosion,' BJ said. 'She came got me, and said she had been too scared to see what had happened herself.' From behind him, Jefferson was peeking into the OR. She let out a loud sob.

'It's ok, no-one's too badly hurt,' Potter said. He glanced over at Charles and Alex, still on the floor. 'Is she alright?' he asked.

'She's shaken up, but I think she's fine,' Charles said. He helped Alex to her feet. The redhead nurse just looked around numbly. What had been the OR room was half destroyed, broken bottles everywhere, the walls turned into splintered wood, the floor covered in blood and glass.

'How many more wounded do we have?' Potter asked.

'A dozen, at the most,' Father Mulcahy replied.

'Good. Take Alex and lay her down somewhere, I think she's worked hard enough tonight,' Potter said. Father Mulcahy took Alex from Charles, and led her out of the OR. Behind them, Alex could hear BJ ask about what had happened, and she shuddered. She didn't want to think about how lucky there were.

* * *

Jefferson came to the Swamp to tend to the cut on Alex's head. It wouldn't scar, but still needed disinfecting and covering. Alex was lying on her cot quietly, staring at the ceiling of the tent. She looked over as Jefferson came in, and smiled weakly.

'Hey,' she said. 'I'm glad I sent you out when I did.'

'I heard you and Hawkeye were lucky. If you hadn't noticed the grenade, you might have been more hurt,' Jefferson said. She still looked kind of pale.

'Can you pour me a martini?' Alex asked, pointing towards the Still before Jefferson could sit down. 'Father Mulcahy told me I shouldn't move around because of the shock. I don't know how the surgeons can keep on operating after that.' Jefferson poured Alex a martini, and hesitated before getting herself one too.

'Here,' she said, handing one of the glasses to Alex.

'You don't like the stuff from the Still, I thought?' Alex asked, sitting up.

'I think I needed a belt,' Jefferson replied. Alex nodded calmly.

'Yeah, well you're welcome to it,' she said, sipping her drink. Jefferson checked the cut, and started cleaning it.

'I didn't know what had happened in there when I heard the explosion,' Jefferson said as Alex winced with the disinfectant.

'I barely knew what had happened,' Alex said. 'I thought maybe I had come back into consciousness after being blown up at my last unit.'

'I thought maybe a missile hit the OR,' Jefferson said. She took a gulp from her martini, and started coughing on the rough drink.

'Easy,' Alex soothed. 'I've got something weaker if you want.' Jefferson shook her head.

'It's ok,' she said, forcing herself to swallow again. After working that down, she turned her attention back to Alex. She secured a bandage over the cut, and Alex smiled at her gratefully.

'How are the others?' she asked.

'Nothing serious,' Jefferson replied. 'The doctors got away with nearly no injuries, but a few nurses got cut by some glass. Nurse Crystal is the worst, her arm got cut up when she landed on broken glass.' Alex nodded. She was glad the others were ok, but she was slightly angry at herself for going into shock like she had. She had experienced this sort of thing before and handled it ok. Better than ok, in fact. She had taken charge last time.

'I hate this war,' Alex said, lying back down. Jefferson nodded in agreement.

* * *

Alex was sitting in the Mess tent, nursing a coffee. It was approximately six hours after the OR had been blown up, but Alex couldn't sleep. She was still shaky from the explosion. Klinger sat next to her.

'No more wounded?' she asked. Klinger nodded.

'You ok?' he asked her.

'Yeah,' Alex replied. She looked up from her coffee. 'Thanks.'

'For what?' Klinger asked in surprise.

'You came to see if I was ok almost immediately. No one at any of the other units I've been at would have done that,' Alex said.

'Well, I should be the one thanking you,' Klinger said. 'You knocked me onto the ground.'

'That was an accident,' Alex admitted.

'It still saved my life,' Klinger said. He paused. 'I guess I'm just another notch on your belt of idiots you've saved.'

'Klinger, you are anything but an idiot,' Alex told him. She paused thoughtfully. 'And anyway, you're two notches. That's the second time I've saved you.' Klinger grinned at her, and she grinned back. At least her sense of humour was intact.

'Good to know you're ok,' he said, patting her on the back and standing up. Alex sipped her coffee as he walked off.

'Shouldn't you be in bed?' Charles asked a few minutes later, sitting beside her.

'Can't sleep,' Alex said. She moved closer to Charles for comfort and warmth. 'I'm sorry I knocked you to the ground,' she said.

'It is perfectly alright, Alexia,' Charles said. She rested her head on his shoulder. Something was bothering the nurse but she didn't say anything to Charles. As much as she loved him, she knew she couldn't talk to him about everything. Heck, she couldn't talk to him about most _anything_. He was too proud to have to endure some of the things Alex always had on her mind.

She hated being a Major because others looked at her with fear instead of trust. She hated knowing her career as a nurse was over once the war ended. She hated hearing from Dani, who was strangely settling into the housewife life quite easily. She hated being in a war zone, watching those around her die and having people try to _kill_ her.

Most of all, the biggest secret she couldn't tell anyone, not even the other nurses, the one thing above all of the hates, Alex missed Hawkeye.


	32. Romeo

**-Guy with sign that says "The End Is Near" walks past-**

**Kooshball Note:** Ok, "Nurses" will be finished very soon, within another three or four chapters. Because I've only seen the last few seasons of MASH once, these last few chapters won't be accurate. Either learn to live with the inaccuracies or flame me. I don't particularly care which, but I will ignore flames.

* * *

Someone had the bright idea of making a time capsule, Alex wasn't sure who. But for the last few days, Hawkeye and Margaret had been going around, looking for things to put into the box. Alex didn't have anything to put in the capsule, though Hawkeye had pleaded with her to include something.

She did, however, go to see them put it into the ground. Margaret had complained about the items in the box until Hawkeye started producing some more powerful items, such as one of Henry's forgotten fishing flies and Radar's bear that had been left behind. Alex looked at the bear in surprise. She had been unaware he'd left it in Korea.

Alex watched Hawkeye put the bear into the time capsule, signifying the people who'd come as boys, gone home as men.

'Hey, can I put something in?' she asked suddenly, wanting to be part of this moment. There were a few startled glances up at Alex.

'Yeah, sure,' Hawkeye said.

'I'll be back in a minute,' Alex said. 'Don't bury it without letting me get it.' She ran off in the direction of the Swamp.

'A whole heap of junk,' Margaret sniffed after she'd gone, staring down into the capsule.

'Significant junk,' BJ reminded her. 'It all has a meaning that relates to us.' Margaret had no reply to that.

Alex came back, something pale green in her arms. When she held it up, they soon realised what it was.

'Your dress,' Hawkeye said.

'Klinger made it for me sometime last year,' Alex said, looking at it fondly. 'When Dani was at the 4077. It was my favourite dress in the whole world.'

'It's all ripped,' Klinger said, sounding kind of hurt. Alex looked at him, tears in her eyes.

'It got ruined when I went on R and R to Tokyo with Charles,' she said to him. 'I couldn't bear to tell you. I tried to have it repaired, but it was impossible.'

'What's it signify?' Potter asked softly. Alex swallowed, and blinked a few times to keep the tears back.

'To mistakes made,' she replied. She looked at Charles. 'For better and for worse.' Sombrely, she laid it in the capsule, and Hawkeye put the lid on it. The time capsule was put into the hole by Hawkeye, and Charles wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders. She gripped his hand tightly, watching the others piling the dirt over the box. The personnel of the 4077 started walking away, once the box was deep in the ground.

'Good choice, Major,' Margaret said softly to Alex. The younger nurse looked at her superior in surprise. This was the first civil word she had said to Alex since moving into the Swamp.

'Thank you,' Alex said, giving Margaret a small nod. Margaret didn't reply, but instead walked off to her tent.

'To the Swamp?' Charles asked. Alex nodded. Shoulder to shoulder, the two walked to the Swamp. BJ and Hawkeye seemed to be going to the officer's club with Potter, so they would have the tent to themselves. Inside, Charles put on a quiet record, and Alex sat on the edge of her cot, watching him get the bottle of wine from under the shirts in his footlocker.

'Charles,' she said as he poured the drinks. 'What will happen to us after the war?'

'What do you mean?' Charles asked.

'Well, Hawkeye's relationship with any nurse was never going to last beyond the war. I was wondering if ours was meant to be the same,' Alex explained.

'Of course not!' Charles said, handing her a glass of red wine. 'I want to take you home and meet my family. I want to meet your mother and your sister.'

'Good,' Alex said, satisfied. 'I've had a couple of bad relationships over the years, Charles. I'm happy you're not one of them.'

'I could never hurt you intentionally,' Charles said. He held up his glass. 'To us after the war,' he said.

'Us after the war,' Alex replied, tapping her glass with his. 'May the war end as soon as possible.' She drank deeply, glad to have one of the many things off her chest.

'You seem a little preoccupied,' Charles said to her, sitting on the crate opposite where she was sitting. 'What's wrong?'

'It's nothing,' Alex said. 'Just a whole heap of little things.'

'I could help you with the little things,' Charles suggested. Alex looked up at him, and smiled.

'Don't worry about it,' she said.

'I almost forgot,' Charles said, standing up again and going to his footlocker. 'I asked Mother to send something from home for you.' He produced a brown paper wrapped parcel. Alex took it from him, slightly confused.

'What is it?' she asked.

'Open it,' Charles said. He seemed excited about the gift. Alex untied it, and pulled the paper away. Inside was an old book, the pages slightly browned from age.

'_Romeo and Juliet_,' Alex said with a smile. 'Shakespeare.'

'I remembered what you said in Tokyo. _A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet_,' Charles said. Alex nodded. She vaguely remembered that part of the night, where she had over heard people talking about the "police action".

'Are you happy with it?' he asked eagerly after a moment. He seemed to want to please Alex with the gift, so she nodded.

'I love it,' she said. She laughed gently. 'I just haven't picked up a book in so long. I think I might have forgotten how to read.'

'I'll read it to you,' Charles said. He sat beside Alex, took the book from her and opened it to the first page. The nurse moved closer to him, enjoying his warmth and company. '_Two households, both alike in dignity_--'

'Skip this part,' Alex interrupted. 'Let's read where Romeo and Juliet meet.' Charles smiled at Alex.

'Alright,' he said, flipping through the book to "Act two, scene 2". 'I shall be Romeo. Do you wish to read Juliet?' Alex nodded before leaning her head on his shoulder.

'_But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!_' Charles read softly. Alex's eyes were closed, and a gentle smile was on her mouth. She had always loved Shakespeare, and it sounded magical to her in Charles' hushed whispers, as if he were really Romeo.

'Hey kids, not interrupting, are we?' Hawkeye asked loudly as he and BJ barged into the Swamp. Alex jerked her head up quickly, annoyed the spell had been broken.

'I told you we shouldn't have come in while they were alone,' BJ muttered to Hawkeye, no jest or sarcasm in his voice.

'_Romeo and Juliet_,' Hawkeye read off the book in Charles' hands. '_Wherefore art thou Romeo_ and all that, right?'

'We're not up to that part yet,' Alex said irritably. 'Weren't you two in the officer's club?'

'We were, and now we're here,' Hawkeye said. 'Hey, booze!' He had spotted Charles' bottle of wine.

'Not "booze", you cretin,' Charles said loudly, standing up. Alex flopped onto her cot, sighing loudly and cursing Hawkeye silently.

'Sorry, Alex,' BJ said to her.

'It's ok, I'm sure Charles and I can read it another time,' Alex said hopelessly as she watched Charles bicker with Hawkeye about the wine.

However, that never happened.

* * *

**Kooshball note: **I do not own either MASH or anything written by Shakespeare. Do I look rich to you? Anyway, leave a review. 


	33. Mistakes

'Winchester has had a suggestion, Major,' Potter said, sitting beside Alex in the mess tent.

'Oh?' Alex said, looking up from her tray. She'd been picking at something brown that the cook had said was meatloaf, but Alex had never seen meatloaf that could be eaten with a straw before.

'He wants you to go to Tokyo and have your arm checked by the doctors there,' Potter said.

'Every doctor who had passed through this unit has checked me over,' Alex said exasperatedly. 'And all of the surgeons here have checked over me at least a dozen times each.'

'Charles says Tokyo will have better equipment than us. They might be able to pick up something we missed,' Potter explained. 'I thing it might be worth doing.'

'So you're giving me leave to do this?' Alex asked. 'Does Margaret know? She deserves R and R more than I need a physical.'

'She knows,' Potter replied. 'Pack your bags, a jeep will be waiting for you at seventeen hundred today.'

'Thank you, sir,' Alex said at the CO stood up.

'Come by my office when you've finished eating, and I'll give you the details,' Potter said, striding off. Alex sat at the table for a moment, decided the meatloaf was better left to its own devices then stood up to follow Potter to his office.

* * *

'This is stupid,' Alex said after chasing Hawkeye from the Swamp while packing her bags. He'd been trying to "help" Alex by packing irrelevant things like BJ's spare pair of boots and Charles' favourite record. 'What are the doctors in Tokyo going to find that you guys didn't?'

'Faith, Alexia,' Charles said. 'The surgeons at Tokyo General have far more sophisticated equipment than in this…' Charles paused for a moment as he searched for an appropriate word. 'Cesspool,' he finished with a slight sneer.

'How did you talk Potter and Margaret into agreeing to this anyway?' Alex asked, shoving a shirt into a gap down the side of her duffel bag.

'I have my ways,' Charles said mysteriously.

'Potter wouldn't tell me either,' Alex said, sounding annoyed by not angry. A jeep horn sounded outside, and they both looked up. 'Tell Hawkeye and BJ I said bye,' Alex said, planting a kiss on Charles' forehead before running out of the tent to the jeep. Charles just watched her go silently.

* * *

Alex tapped her fingers impatiently as her call was put through. After a whole week of being poked and prodded by every single doctor in Japan, plus some who'd made special visits just for her and without finding anything, she was feeling harassed and looking forward to going home to the Swamp.

'4077th MASH, Captain Hunnicutt speaking,' a voice finally said.

'BJ! It's Alex,' Alex said, glad to hear a familiar voice. 'How is everyone?'

'They're ok,' BJ said cautiously. 'Did they find out what's wrong with your arm?'

'No,' Alex said making a face, even though she knew he couldn't see her. 'I hate being a patient, though. I can't wait til I get back to the 4077. Is anyone else around?'

'Charles is in Post op, I'll go get him,' BJ said. There was a thump on the other end as he put the receiver down, and Alex waited.

'Hello?' someone said on the far end a few minutes later.

'Charles,' Alex said, unable to keep the grin off her face. 'It's Alex.'

'Alexia,' Charles said, sounding pleased. He was the only person apart from her mother who could get away with calling her "Alexia". Anyone else to call her that was promptly kicked. 'How are they treating you in Tokyo?'

'I never want to come to the hospital here ever again,' Alex said, sounding cheerful, but being deadly serious. 'I'm coming back tomorrow.'

'Don't do that!' Charles exclaimed. Alex was confused as Charles regained his composure. 'You deserve a break,' he said, more calmly this time. 'Have a few days in Tokyo. Tell Colonel Baldwin you're a friend of mine, he will see to it you are well looked after.'

'Isn't that desertion?' Alex asked. 'I'm due back at camp tomorrow.'

'I've already organised it through Klinger,' Charles replied smoothly. 'You have an extra week. Just find Colonel Baldwin and he will take care of you. Just make sure he doesn't get the wrong idea about your intentions.' Charles sounded slightly sour with this last comment.

'Ok, Charles,' Alex said. 'If he touched me, I'll make sure I hit him in the eye on your behalf.' She grinned, imagining Charles' expression.

'Remind him he owes me $672.17,' Charles added. Alex smiled.

'Ok, Charles,' she said. 'I've got to go now. Say hi to everyone for me, and tell Hawkeye if he so much goes near any package of mine that might be rum brownies, I'll put something nasty in his cot when I get back.'

'Goodbye, Alex,' Charles said, hanging up somewhat hurriedly.

At the 4077th, Charles turned to BJ.

'You didn't tell her about Hawkeye?' he asked. BJ shook his head.

'No,' he said. 'She doesn't know Hawkeye is at the mental institution in Seoul.'

* * *

Alex rang the 4077 again after the week was finished.

'There's a nursing course in Tokyo. It goes for three days. Colonel Potter has already agreed it would be an excellent program for you to attend,' Charles said when Alex mentioned coming back to camp the next day. Alex, who had been feeling slightly suspicious all week, suddenly flared up.

'Are you trying to keep me away from you?' she demanded.

'No!' Charles said.

'Are you interested in one of the other nurses and need me out of camp to make a move?' Alex asked, ignoring him.

'No!' Charles repeated.

'Or are you just trying to get rid of me? Decided I'm not good enough for you after all and now you're keeping me in Tokyo until you transfer out?'

'Alexia--' Charles pleaded.

'Or have you--'

'ALEX!' Charles yelled. 'It is because I love you that I want you in Tokyo!' There was a long quiet over the phone.

'What?' Alex asked.

'If you're in Tokyo, there is less chance of you being hurt,' Charles said tiredly.

'You're doing this to protect me?' Alex asked. Her head was swimming with emotions, so she took hold of the closest one.

'You think I need protecting?' she demanded angrily. 'After all I've been through? Listen, Winchester, I've seen close friends killed in front of me, been raped by the enemy, lived through numerous bombings, survived being overrun by damn North Koreans and had to endure hours of lying in a dead colleague's blood. After Isaac died, do you think I had anyone to protect me? I still managed to survive, didn't I? I'm capable of looking after myself!'

There was a deafening pause over the phone as Alex calmed down. _Oh my god_, she realised. _I've turned into an army officer. I've turned into Margaret Houlihan_.

'I'm sorry, Charles,' she said, aware she'd probably ruined their relationship irreversibly.

'It's why I wanted to protect you,' Charles said quietly. 'Pierce and Hunnicutt told me about your life through the war in return for post op duties. They told me about Andrew, the engaged man who had been killed in front of you, and your brother, Isaac, who died because of the inept doctors at the unit he was taken to. You had been through so much, I didn't want anything else happen to you.'

'I'm sorry, Charles,' Alex said. Her paranoia will probably drive him away, she realised. She'll have lost him forever.

'I love you so much, Alexia, I thought if I could keep you in Tokyo, you wouldn't end up like Isaac, or worse, Hawkeye,' Charles said.

'What happened to Hawkeye?' Alex demanded. She heard Charles curse himself quietly on his end of the phone. 'Charles, what happened to Hawkeye?' she repeated, more demanding this time.

'He was taken to Seoul for psychological analyse,' Charles said. 'I didn't want you to worry.'

'I'm coming back,' Alex said.

'Don't,' Charles said.

'Why not?' Alex asked.

'It's dangerous,' Charles said. 'Ever since the rumours of the end of the war, it's been despicable here. And Potter already signed your discharge.'

'Discharge?' Alex asked. 'What discharge? Charles, why am I being discharged?'

'Stay in Tokyo, and I will come for you when the war ends,' Charles said.

'Charles!' Alex yelled into the phone, but it was too late. He had hung up.


	34. Goodbye

For once, Alex obeyed an order. She stayed in Tokyo for another month and a half, getting edgy about the rumours in the newspapers. According to _Stars and Stripes_, horrendous war crimes were being committed in these last few weeks, and her heart jumped every time there was an article on a MASH unit. However, Charles managed to send her telegrams every few days so she would know everyone was ok. It took all her strength not to catch a plane or chopper back to Korea.

She didn't hate him for sending her to Tokyo like he did, she just wished he could have trusted her enough to take care of herself at the 4077. She respected Charles enough to listen to him when he told her to stay in Tokyo, though she had managed to call him back the next day to yell some more before apologising for her behaviour. The call had been cut short, however, so she wasn't sure if he'd heard her apology or not.

Finally, on the twenty seventh of July, just over two months since Alex arrived in Tokyo for her physical, the radio reported the end of the war. However, when she tried to put in a call, Alex found it was impossible to get a call through to the 4077th.

'I need to get through!' she yelled at the poor operator. 'That's my family!'

'I'm sorry, but I can't get anything through, not even telegraphs,' the operator said.

'Is anything coming through from Korea?' Alex asked hopefully.

'No, I'm sorry, ma'am,' the operator said. Alex scowled.

'Don't call me "ma'am". I haven't been a Major for over a month,' she snapped.

'Sorry, ma'am—I mean, Miss Dustin,' the operator said hurriedly.

'It's ok,' Alex said, on the verge of tears. 'I just don't know if anything's happened to them or not.'

'I will put a call through to you first as soon as anything happens,' the operator said sympathetically.

'Thank you,' Alex said, hanging up. She paced her room a moment, then stared out the window. Charles was paying for her hotel room until the end of the war, even though she had tried to insist on finding a different option. She felt so guilty about her outburst at him when he finally told her what had happened to Hawkeye, and was touched that he would still do something like that for her.

Alex suddenly went to her closet, and began pulling things out of it. She shoved them into a suitcase she'd bought herself there to replace the flimsy duffel bag she'd arrived with, and made sure she had packed everything. It was past checking out time at the hotel, but Alex didn't care. She needed to get back to Korea, and now.

* * *

Hawkeye looked sullenly around the compound. The tents were dismantled, the wounded were gone, Klinger and his new wife had left an hour ago, the Still destroyed, probably forever, and now they were all going home. It was the one thing he had wished for since he had first arrived, so why did he feel so empty?

BJ was doing a final check over his motorbike, maybe twenty yards away. He hadn't wanted to say good-bye to Hawkeye, even though he knew how much it would mean to him. It just seemed so… final. Happy with the bike, he looked up to see a jeep bumping along the road towards him. A red haired woman jumped out before it had completely rolled to a stop, and BJ just looked at her with his mouth open wide. Hawkeye was also looking, but hadn't shown any signs of reaction.

'The war is over!' Alex yelled, throwing her arms around BJ's neck.

'I know. What are you doing here?' he asked, hugging her back. Hawkeye came towards them, breaking into a run as he neared them. Alex pulled away from BJ and allowed Hawkeye to bowl into her, knocking them to the ground.

'What the hell are you doing here?' Hawkeye asked her, not caring they were in danger of rolling into a mud puddle.

'Charles! CHARLES!' BJ was yelling, running towards where he saw the Major last. Alex tried to pick herself up, but it was difficult to do so with Hawkeye clinging to her.

'I heard the war was over and I couldn't get through to the camp. I had to come,' she said. 'Had to pretend to be an important officer to get through, but it's not like they can do anything to me now. Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Seoul?'

'Sidney said I should come back,' Hawkeye said as they both stood up. Charles was running towards them now, having emerged from behind a jeep. Alex ran to greet him, leaving the two former Captains to just watch them embrace.

'You were meant to be in Tokyo,' Charles told Alex sternly as he hugged her tight.

'You know me,' Alex mumbled. She pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes ashamedly. 'I'm sorry I was so unreasonable when you tried keeping me there,' she said.

'It's alright, Alexia,' Charles said, pulling her close to him. 'All I care is that you are safe.'

'I know,' Alex replied. Hawkeye and BJ both ambled up.

'I never thought I'd see you here again,' BJ said.

'I could say the same,' Alex replied. She hugged both Hawkeye and BJ again. 'I've missed you,' she said.

The remaining personnel of the 4077th had started to gather around them, and Alex found her closest friends and hugged them all tightly.

'Where's Klinger?' she asked, pulling away from Jefferson and Kellye. 'Why isn't he here?'

'He's off with his new wife, looking for her family,' Potter replied.

'Soon Lee and Klinger?' Alex asked. She smiled warmly. 'I always thought he'd propose to her. She's the luckiest Korean to come out of this mess. I'm going to hate never seeing him, again.'

'There's always back in the States,' Kellye said. 'Jefferson made sure he had a copy of your mother's address written down.' Jefferson just smiled at her friend as Alex gave her another hug.

'So I guess everyone is about to head off, then,' Alex said. There were a few nods and affirmative noises from the group. Alex looked around at what effectively had been her family for the last three years. 'I'll miss you all so much,' she said.

* * *

Alex took the addresses of a few people so she could keep in touch with them after the war, including Margaret's, Colonel Potter's, and all of the nurses. When she came to say goodbye to Hawkeye and BJ, however, she was stuck for words.

'So what's going to happen to you now?' BJ asked her as she bit her lip and looked at them.

'I've got to sell the house Isaac and I shared, then I don't know what,' she said. She glanced at Charles. 'Anything might happen after that,' she said.

'Well, you're welcome to stay with me and Peg anytime,' BJ said, getting a final hug from her. When Alex pulled away, she looked at Hawkeye.

'Keep in touch?' he asked her.

'Of course,' she said, going over his address in Crab Apple Cove in her head again. It was written down on a piece of paper in her pocket, but she had the feeling she'd never forget his address, even though she planned never to use it. She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. 'It's been great knowing you, Hawkeye,' she said. She hugged him briefly, and pulled away. BJ was shaking Charles' hand. Hawkeye moved to the balding man, took his hand, then whispered something to him. Charles looked startled for a moment, and he glanced at Alex.

'Alright,' he said finally, looking slightly unhappy with whatever it had been Hawkeye suggested. Hawkeye went up to Alex and kissed her hard on the lips. When they pulled away, Alex blinked a few times, as if unsure about what had happened.

'Goodbye, Hawkeye,' she said finally, deciding to ignore the kiss. Hawkeye was making this goodbye more difficult than it needed to be. 'I'm sorry if I screwed everything up for us.' She turned away, and Charles wrapped and arm around her shoulders. Together, they got into the jeep Alex had arrived in, packed with all of their belongings, and the driver started it up. She never even looked back.

Hawkeye and BJ watched them drive away.

'Come on,' BJ said to Hawkeye. 'You've got a chopper to catch.'

'Mmm,' Hawkeye grunted, trying to memorise the red head nurse with her pale right eye, her distinguishable limp, and the long pale scar she had for as long as he had known her. Then, he tried to forget her.

It didn't work.

* * *

**-Guy walks past with a sign that reads "The End Comes Tomorrow"-**

(And by tomorrow, I mean whenever I can be bothered posting the last chapter.)


	35. Second Chance

**-Guy walks past with a sign that says "The End Is Here!"-**

**Kooshball note: **Ok guys, last chapter of Alex _EVER_! It's about three times longer than usual, and went through about six different drafts, as I wanted it to be **PERFECT**. Enjoy the final chapter of the final story of Alex's Trilogy, 'cause she won't be coming back after this. _-sob-

* * *

_

**_November, 1954_**

Alex had never been the same after the war. She had come back with the long scar down her left cheek which made people look away uneasily when they saw her, the jagged scar on her left shoulder, and the terrible limp that worsened when she'd been thinking about Isaac, which was all the time now she was home. She had trouble holding things in her left hand when stressed or under pressure, and her right eye was a pale, milky green, a visible scar across the retina. If Alex had been shown a picture of herself after the war in 1950, she would have just laughed and said that could never happen to her.

It wasn't just physical. Alex had gone away as the cheerful, drinking, card playing nurse who liked a good joke. Now, no longer a nurse, she was quiet and sullen, and stayed away from alcohol when she could. She played card games still, but this was only occasionally, when she was bullied into it by one of her friends.

Her mother, Naomi, had also been affected by the war, though she'd never stepped foot outside of America in her life. She'd lost her only son, and, in effect, her oldest daughter. She'd given up on Alex ever being fully happy again, though she seemed slightly brighter when she was with on of her friends from the war. Naomi always welcomed Alex's friends into her home.

Naomi opened the door one chilly November afternoon to find a dark haired man waiting nervously.

'Yes?' she asked suspiciously, looking him up and down. Lately she had been getting a lot of door-to-door salesmen, though this man didn't appear to be selling anything.

'Is Alexia Dustin in?' he asked, taking another quick glance at the paper in his hand.

'Who's asking?' Naomi demanded, the door not moving open an inch. Last time someone had asked for her daughter, she'd been sent to Korea.

'I'm Benjamin Pierce, I was a doctor at the same unit she was at,' the man explained. Naomi suddenly beamed.

'Why didn't you say so? Any friend of Alexia's is welcome here,' she said, throwing the door open. The man stepped in gratefully, looking relieved. 'Can I get you anything?' Naomi asked, leading him into the living room.

'Uh, no thanks,' he said, sitting on a fat couch. Beside him, a ginger tom cat with three legs stared at him a moment, then went back to sleep. Naomi sat on the arm chair opposite him. She was shorter than Alex and Dani, with greying ginger hair tied into a loose bun at the base of her neck. Her green-grey eyes were still bright behind the glasses she wore, and by the way she moved and talked, it was obvious that this woman was Alex's mother.

'I suppose you were at the 4077th,' Naomi said. 'Alexia said that only the people there cared enough about her and Danielle to get them sent back home on false discharges.'

'She was one of the binding threads of the unit,' the man said.

'Now, how can I help you?' Naomi asked.

'I was hoping to see Alex. I haven't seen her since the war.'

'Is that so, Benjamin?' Naomi asked, sounding slightly confused. 'Were you close to Alexia in anyway?'

'I shared a tent with her and two other surgeons. Not that she got into any mischief,' the man added hurriedly.

'Your name, your nickname, it's Hawkeye, isn't it?' Naomi asked. The man just nodded. 'Captain Hawkeye Pierce. Alexia used to send the longest letters home about you.'

'Really?' Hawkeye asked, surprised.

'Uh-huh,' Naomi said, going to a china cabinet and opening the draw. She pulled out a stack of letters bound together by a piece of string. 'These are all her letters from the war,' she said fondly. 'You started coming home in her letters just after she was transferred the first time, and didn't stop until the last few.' Naomi picked one out of the first half and opened it.

'_He's charming and has the blues eyes in the whole world. Hawkeye's sense of humour is second to none as well. If I ever wanted a second chance with anyone, it'd be with him_.' Naomi looked up from her reading to see what sort of impact it was having. Hawkeye just sat there in silence.

'I was very fond of her as well,' he said after a moment.

'Oh, I never said they were always saying nice things about you,' Naomi said, putting the letters back in the draw. 'There were a few tear stained ones saying how much she hated you. I wouldn't worry,' she added when she saw Hawkeye's face. 'They became much nicer again towards the end of the war.'

'So where is Alex? Working?' Hawkeye asked.

'I shouldn't tell you,' Naomi said, suddenly not so talkative. 'She said you were the only person in the war she didn't want to see back here in the states. I shouldn't tell you.'

'Tell me what?' Hawkeye prodded. 'What shouldn't you tell me?'

'Alexia is living with another friend from the war, interstate,' Naomi said.

'Charles?' Hawkeye guessed.

'No, not Charles. Another surgeon, nice man, with a lovely family,' Naomi said. 'In California.'

'Where in California?' Hawkeye asked, already knowing the answer.

'Mill Valley,' Naomi confirmed.

'BJ,' he said. Naomi walked Hawkeye to the door.

'Alexia is very stubborn,' she said to him. 'She might not talk to you.' Hawkeye sighed. He didn't need telling, he knew first hand of her stubbornness.

Naomi watched the man leave. She hoped her daughter would talk to him. He seemed too nice to ignore. And Alex was right, he had the bluest eyes in the world.

* * *

The Hunnicutts were just sitting down to dinner when the phone rang. BJ answered it as Alex passed him in the hall on her way to the dining room.

'Oh, hey, Hawkeye, it's been a while,' BJ said, making Alex stop in her tracks. BJ glanced at the woman. 'Alex Dustin?' he asked.

'I'm not here,' Alex hissed at him, leaving the hallway quickly as if just being in the same room as the phone would let Hawkeye know she was there.

'Sorry, Hawk, she's not here,' BJ lied.

'But you know where she is,' Hawkeye said. 'I know she's living in Mill Valley, BJ. I want to talk to her.'

'She swore me to secrecy,' BJ said. 'She's been having a rough time lately. I'd hate myself if I betrayed her.'

'I miss her, Beej,' Hawkeye said softly. 'I need to talk to her.'

'I'll tell her,' BJ said. 'I just don't know if she'd listen.'

'Thanks, BJ,' Hawkeye said.

'Just don't try finding her or contacting her just yet,' BJ said. 'Let Alex make the decision to talk to you, ok?'

'Wouldn't have it any other way,' Hawkeye promised. BJ hung up after a while and went into the dining room to find Alex.

'I don't want to know what he said,' Alex said the moment she saw him. 'Not one word of what he said.'

'Alex,' BJ said, not sure where to start.

'BJ,' Alex retorted, staring at him defiantly. 'Not. One. Word.' BJ shrugged and sat down. He could never win against her when she was like this. He'd try later.

* * *

**_July, 1946_**

'Ok, Dani, the one person you'd want a second chance with,' Alex said. Dani put a finger on her chin and stared at the roof thoughtfully.

'Anthony Smith,' she said eventually.

'Nostrils?' Isaac asked, keeping his eyes on the road. 'He was a moron.'

'Come on then, Mr "I've got the most perfect boyfriends", who would you pick as your second chance?" Dani asked. Isaac was quiet for a moment.

'Bobby Thomas,' he said. 'Be damned if I ever saw anyone with teeth as white as his.'

'Mom, how about you?' Dani asked, leaning forward in her seat. 'Who's your second chance?'

'Your father,' Naomi said almost instantly.

'What, so you could kick him where it hurts?' Isaac muttered darkly.

'Isaac, not in front of your sisters,' Naomi scolded, but Dani wasn't paying any attention to her brother's comments.

'Alexia, who is the one person you would want a second chance with?' she asked.

'No one, and don't call me Alexia,' Alex said.

'Come on, you brought it up,' Dani wheedled.

'I haven't met him yet,' Alex declared. Isaac laughed.

'How will you know when you have met him, Alex?' he asked, slowing down for the stop sign.

'He'll be the one who wants me as his second chance,' Alex said. Isaac took the stop sign as a chance to turn around to face his closest sister.

'I'm sure he'll come one day,' he said, smiling at her.

"Second Chance" was Alex's favourite game on car trips. This game gave the family a moment to dream about those special relationships they had hated ending. Even when Alex did name someone in these games, she knew she had never really met her real "second chance" person yet.

* * *

_**January, 1955**_

Alex was curled up in bed. She'd been there for the last ten days, not moving except for toilet breaks, small amounts of food forced onto her by Peg, and cramps. Her life felt like a black abyss, that she was falling down with no way of stopping herself. Though she'd only recently taken to living in her bed, Alex had felt like this for nearly a year and a half.

There were a few things that helped, though. BJ, Peg and Erin's support helped a lot. If they hadn't been there, Alex wasn't sure who she could have turned to. Trapper's wife despised her and distrusted her, Klinger was struggling to set his own family up, as was her sister Dani and the other nurses she'd been close with, and Margaret had her own life. She couldn't go to either Hawkeye or Charles, for obvious reasons. Potter and Radar were there, with their own families, but they weren't as close to Alex as the others had been. If BJ and Peg hadn't agreed to let her stay, she would have probably ended up in a ward somewhere.

Constant letters from Jefferson and Kellye helped, too. They sent them every week, and BJ or Peg would read them to her. They lifted her spirits greatly. Dani sent letters occasionally, too, of her toddler son, and the second baby on the way. These small touches of reality seemed to make Alex better some days, and she'd actually attempt to make an effort.

'Alex, get up,' BJ pleaded. 'You need to, for your own sake. You and me will go out and do something while Peg takes Erin to visit her Grandma. We could see a movie, or go to the park or even go shopping.'

Alex didn't reply, but just stared at the blank wall in front of her eyes. She hadn't talked since retreating to her bed. BJ just stood over her, looking concerned.

'Anything you want to do, we'll do it,' he pleaded with her. Alex lifted her head and turned to face BJ.

'I want to go have a drink,' she croaked. Her throat was dry and her voice cracking from not using it. BJ's face broke into a smile.

'Ok, we'll go to the bar,' he said. 'I'll wait down stairs for you.' Alex sat up, her body aching from not having moved since sometime yesterday. BJ left, and Alex forced herself to have a shower. She didn't really care how she looked going out, but she owed it to BJ not to go out looking like she did at that moment. Her hair was greasy and stringy, her skin paled from the hours she refused to get out of bed, and the clothes she'd put on ten days ago were wrinkled and creased.

Twenty minutes later, Alex came down the stairs in a knee length dress, her hair still damp. She hadn't bothered putting on any makeup or jewellery, or even try putting her hair up. Alex was lucky to have been bothered brushing it. She was using a walking stick as her limp had become almost impossible once she'd gone into depression.

'Let's go,' she said. BJ looked up, relieved to see she had made half an effort. He nodded, and led the way to the car parked in front of the house. Alex got into the passenger seat, and didn't say a word.

'What are you thinking about?' BJ asked after a few minutes of driving. Alex looked over at her friend. She hadn't been expecting that.

'Nothing,' she said.

'Alex, you've been like this for over a week. There's got to be something you think about,' he said. Alex didn't say anything, but stared ahead silently.

'I was thinking about Isaac,' Alex said after a minute, gripping the top of the walking stick tightly. 'How if he saw me now, he'd wondered what had happened to his little sister.'

'I'm sure he'd understand and love you just as much,' BJ said. Alex didn't say another word for the trip, preferring total silence. She ignored BJ's questions, and even turned the radio off when BJ tried turning it on.

Walking into the bar, Alex almost instantly regretted it. It was full of males sitting around small tables, playing cards. Alex refused to play cards any more, her luck had gone with her sense of humour and happiness. She followed BJ to the bar and sat on one of the stools, ordering a scotch when the barman came to ask her what she wanted.

'What about you, sir?' the barman asked BJ.

'Beer,' BJ said, keeping a close eye on Alex. The woman hadn't done so well last time she had had alcohol. She ended up getting horribly drunk and cried for hours on his shoulder.

'Where'd you pick up the call girl?' one man asked BJ. Alex didn't even care that the men in the bar thought she must have been a prostitute. BJ seemed highly offended however.

'She is not a call girl!' he yelled. 'She is a close friend of mine, and it you make another comment like that again, I don't know what I'll do!' Alex watched this unemotionally. She used to have passion like that. She used to get fired up when people insulted her. Not any more.

'Are you ok?' someone asked, sitting on her other side. BJ gave the man a look, but the new comer ignored him.

'She's fine,' BJ said. 'Alex, honey, you want to go home?'

'Let her finish her drink,' the second man said.

'I'm not thirsty after all,' Alex muttered, pushing her glass away. The second man grabbed her arm as she went to stand up.

'Stay a little while longer,' he said. It almost sounded like an order.

'Why?' Alex asked sullenly.

'So I can get to know you better,' he replied, a little less harshly this time. Alex looked up at him, surprised at the reply. Then she gasped. His eyes were a startling dark blue, and Alex found that she did want to stay a little while longer after all.

* * *

_**September, 1956**_

Alex looked at herself in the full length mirror and sighed. The white flowing dress didn't feel right, and for the millionth time that hour, she wondered if this was right for her.

'Don't look at me like that,' she told her reflection. Her reflection continued to give her the disappointed look. 'Cut it out!' Alex said to it, more loudly this time. The reflection just looked indignant at being yelled at. Alex sighed again. This wasn't her, and she didn't think it ever would be.

'You ok in there, Alex?' someone asked from the other side of the dressing room doors. Alex hobbled out of the change room using her walking stick. Her limping had never really recovered, even though she was no longer depressed. BJ was standing there, looking slightly worried. 'I heard talking,' he said.

'Just talking to myself,' Alex said.

'The dress fits nicely,' BJ said, looking her up and down.

'I don't know,' Alex said. 'Maybe I should try another one.'

'Alex, you've tried on nearly every dress in every shop,' BJ said. 'Maybe you're having second thoughts.'

'It's not that,' Alex said, though she knew BJ could see through the lie.

'Alex, I'll give you my opinion. I think you'll find Dani and your mother agree with me,' BJ said softly. 'Brendan's a jerk and he's doing you more damage than good.'

'He takes care of me, though,' Alex muttered. 'No one else will, except you and Peg.'

'I could name a few who'd take care of you,' BJ said. Alex gave a bitter laugh, going back into the changing room.

'Like who?'

BJ was quiet for a moment, wondering if he dared to continue.

'Hawkeye,' he said after a moment, deciding it couldn't hurt. Alex stopped from changing for a moment.

'That's not funny,' she said.

'I wasn't trying to be,' BJ replied. 'You should really see him. He hasn't heard from you for over three years. How do you think that makes him feel?'

'I don't like it any more than you do, but I can't change it now,' Alex said bitterly.

'He wants to talk to you, Alex. He asks about you every time he calls,' BJ said.

'Really?' Alex sounded hopeful. She seemed to have forgotten about Hawkeye's call two years back, just before she got depressed.

'He's known you were in California for a long time, but promised me he wouldn't try anything,' BJ continued. 'That was when you weren't doing so well. I told him to let you talk to him first.'

'I don't think I should,' Alex said. 'What if Brendan found out?' BJ's face soured. He didn't like Brendan or the way he treated Alex and the people around her. More than once the man had reduced Erin to tears. Brendan was a dominating bully and he hated Alex being even the tiniest bit independent.

'To hell with Brendan,' BJ said. 'It'll be only a few hours with Hawkeye to say goodbye. You at least owe him that much.'

Alex stepped out of the dressing room again, wearing her long winter dress. The white wedding dress lay in her arms, and she handed it to BJ.

'Promise you won't tell Brendan about it if I did go?' she asked.

'Alex, I wouldn't tell that man the time of day even if he offered me a million dollars,' BJ said. Alex thought for a moment.

'Call him,' she said. 'Call Hawkeye and tell him I want to meet up with him here.'

* * *

**_September, 1954_**

Before she met blue-eyed Brendan in the bar, and before she moved to California, Alex was living with Charles in Boston. She could have everything she wanted, people were paid to do everything for her, and she hated it.

Alex had never been the perfect home-maker every other woman seemed to be. She hated cleaning and only cooked when absolutely necessary. She didn't mind the servants who cooked and did basic cleaning, it was other little tasks she would have been happy to do her self. Like answer the door.

The butler tended to scare Alex's friends and family, who weren't used to having hired help to greet them at the door. Alex tried to answer the door for them when she could. She even sat beside the door when her mother came to visit. Though Naomi adored Charles, she seemed very intimidated by the house and servants, so Alex had wanted to make her feel a little more secure by greeting her herself. The expansive front hall had been empty except for herself when the doorbell rang, Alex would have sworn by it. But somehow, the butler managed to get to the door before her, even though Alex was only six feet away.

Another thing that annoyed Alex with the servants was that damned maid who seemed to follow her around. Once, Alex had stood up from writing a letter to open a window, and when she looked around, barely ten seconds later, it was gone. The maid had put it away, where, Alex didn't know. It took her seven hours to search the house for it, too proud to ask the maid or one of the other servants to help.

Things weren't working out so well for Charles either. Charles loved Alex, but rarely had time to see her. Between working and Alex travelling to see her different friends interstate so often, he felt they never had time together. And, it could have just been his imagination (he doubted it), but Alex seemed uneasy around him. She constantly made excuses to leave the dinner table early, apologised often for her going off at him when she had been discharged from the army, and seemed to shy away from him when they were alone together. They had to do something about this.

'Charles, I need to talk to you,' Alex said one day in mid September.

'I agree,' Charles said. 'We need to talk.' They went to the library of the massive Winchester house, where they sat together on an antique lounge.

'I never get to see you any more,' Charles started. 'If we want this to work, we need to spend more time together.'

'You're the one who's always working,' Alex reminded him. 'If you told me what weekends you were going to be home a week earlier, I could work my visits to my friends around you.' She smiled gently at him. 'But that's not your fault,' she said. 'I know how difficult it can be working at a hospital.'

'What are we going to do then?' Charles asked.

'You know what we're going to do, you just don't want to say it,' Alex said with a sad smile. Charles nodded. It was the only option he had been able to come up with as well. It would be impossible for Alex to get a job at the hospital with him, not with her limp or her shaky arm or her half blinded eye, no matter how good a nurse she was. And it was unthinkable that he give up his job.

Charles took Alex's hand. 'You're welcome here anytime,' he said. Alex just kissed him sweetly on the cheek, and walked out of the library.

Later that night, when she went to pack, Alex found a book and a note on her pillow.

_Talk to Hawkeye_, the note read. Charles had always known of Alex's refusal to see Hawkeye to save their own relationship, but obviously that didn't matter any more.

The book was _Romeo and Juliet_, returned to the Winchester family when the war had ended. It was marked and Alex read the quote beside Charles' neat initials.

"_Parting is such sweet sorrow."_

Alex smiled, closed the book and lay it gently in her suitcase. She knew she wouldn't see him again before she left in the morning.

* * *

**_September, 1956_**

Alex waited in the restaurant, sipping her water carefully. On the outside, she was calm and collected, but inside, it felt like something was pulling her stomach in different directions. She felt slightly conspicuous in her dressy skirt and shirt, but Peg had promised that it was the perfect thing to wear. Alex only hoped Hawkeye hadn't dressed down, like he had in Korea.

The maître d' was pointing Alex out to a man near the door, and she felt her heart jump. She pretended not to notice the man amble over, though she instantly recognised the swagger.

'Sorry I'm late,' Hawkeye said as he sat down. 'I've never been in Mill Valley before, it took me a while to find the place.'

'Hello, Hawkeye,' she said politely, tearing up the napkin in her lap under the table. Hawkeye just looked at her.

'Is that all you're going to say?' he asked. '"Hello Hawkeye"? God, Alex, it's been three years.' He didn't sound angry, just disappointed.

'I'm sorry,' she muttered, her head down and turning hot from embarrassment. This was a mistake. It had to be.

'Hey, it's ok,' Hawkeye said, lifting her head gently. 'We don't have time for apologies.' Alex looked at him, feeling as if she was on a first date.

'How did you find out I was in California?' she asked. 'BJ said you've known for ages.'

'I promised I wouldn't tell,' Hawkeye said.

'So did everyone else,' Alex said. 'They said they wouldn't tell you where I was.'

'You're mother told me,' he said. 'I think she worries about you.'

'She's got nothing to worry about,' Alex said. 'I'm no longer in a war zone, have a fiancée, and so many friends I don't know what to do with them all.'

'Fiancée?' Hawkeye asked. 'Who's the lucky guy? Obviously not Charles Winchester.'

'Brendan Adler,' Alex said. 'I met him at a bar a year back.'

'What happened with Charles?' Hawkeye wanted to know. 'I thought you were meant to become Mrs Charles Emerson Winchester the third?'

'I wasn't his type,' Alex replied smoothly, taking a sip of water. The glass shook as she brought it up to her lips, so she put it down hurriedly.

'I bet you still keep in touch with him,' Hawkeye said with only a hint of bitterness. Alex looked at him quickly, shame eating away at her conscience. 'I'm sorry,' Hawkeye said.

'I never contacted you, Hawkeye, because I wanted what I had with Charles to work,' Alex said, blinking away the tears that threatened to push through her eyelashes. 'You could have ruined it all.' Hawkeye gave her a questioning look, but didn't ask why he would have caused so much trouble.

'What about after Charles, when you moved here?' Hawkeye asked. 'I would have come seen you any time.'

'BJ probably told you I was going through a rough patch,' Alex said. Hawkeye nodded. 'I was seriously depressed after I left Charles, right up until I met Brendan.'

'I guess you must really love each other for him to pull you out of depression like that,' Hawkeye commented.

'I don't know if I do,' Alex admitted. 'I've been having second thoughts.'

'If I'm the problem,' Hawkeye said, going to stand up. Alex grabbed his hand.

'No, it's not you,' she said hurriedly. 'It's something else I can't help. Please stay.' Hawkeye sat down again. 'It's just he controls everything,' Alex explained. 'What I wear, what I eat, how I get my hair cut, for crying out loud. He won't let me go see anyone, in case I get up to something, not Klinger, the girls or even my own mother.'

'It's your decision in the end,' Hawkeye told her. 'Don't let him push you around.' Alex just nodded, a tear escaping down her cheek. Hawkeye saw it. 'Don't cry,' he said, putting a hand on her arm.

'I'm not,' Alex sniffed. 'I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner, Hawk.'

'It's ok,' Hawkeye said as the former nurse hugged him.

'You know I can never see you again after the wedding,' Alex said. Hawkeye nodded.

'BJ said this was just goodbye,' he said. 'I'm not even allowed to the ceremony, even if you said it was ok.' Alex hugged him again, and for a split moment, she wondered where the spirited red haired lieutenant from Korea had gone.

* * *

**_October, 1956_**

It was the day before the wedding, and Alex was sitting at the table in Brendan's kitchen with a coffee in her hand. Brendan expected her to cook and clean like a good housewife, even though she despised it. Alex cast a weary eye over the cluttered sink and grubby stove. She was going to hate this kitchen, she just knew it.

'Package came for you,' Brendan grunted, coming into the kitchen, that morning's mail in one hand. In the other was a small box that looked like it had travelled around the world once or twice. Alex took it from him and looked for a return address, but it was too blurred and badly written for her to make it out properly. It looked like it was from a Houvhiji Rjinei or something. Funny, she didn't recall knowing anyone called Houvhiji.

Brendan watched her open it, perhaps hoping for something he could claim from himself. His hopes rose as he saw something glitter within the parcel. He snatched it from Alex before she could have a proper look, and ripped it open more. Alex knew better than to argue with Brendan, he would just hit her.

'What the hell is this?' he demanded, dark blue eyes blazing and holding up what Alex first mistook for a necklace.

'Dog tags,' she said, taking them from him. She turned them over in her hands, reading the details. 'My dog tags.'

'Dog tags?' Brendan asked loudly. Alex had never told him about her two stretches in the Korean War, having wanted to forget it herself. He thought her injuries were from a car accident.

She looked at the tags closely, feeling confused. Her dog tags were lying in a draw in her mother's house. Where had these come from? She suddenly noticed the bloodstains, and early memories of Korea flashed in front of her eyes.

'Where the hell did they come from?' Brendan was yelling. Alex looked at him.

'They're mine,' she said coldly, remembering the respect she had hated as a Major because she felt she hadn't earned it the right way. Here, she wasn't getting any respect, even though she did deserve it. Not any more. 'I was in Korea, during the war, as a conscripted nurse.'

'You, in Korea? Don't lie. They wouldn't want someone like you,' Brendan sneered. 'Anyway, it wasn't a war, the papers said so. It was a police action.' Alex snapped. For too long she had put up with this man's abuse. It was about time she did something.

'See these?' she yelled, holding the dog tags in front of his face. They spun in front of Brendan's eyes, catching the light and sparkling with her temper. Brendan gulped. The red rust on the metal disks looked a lot like dried blood. 'These say I was a nurse in the American Army. See the blood on them? That's the blood of all the people that died who shouldn't have, like my brother. As for it being a police action, I just hope you get conscripted for the next one.' Alex strode to the bedroom and pulled a suitcase from under the bed. Brendan followed her.

'Where the bloody hell do you think you're going?' he asked, more angry that Alex had stood up for herself. 'We've got a wedding tomorrow!'

'Not any more,' Alex said, pausing long enough from packing to take off her engagement ring and throw it at Brendan's feet. She packed her bag as Brendan ranted and raved around her, double checking to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She didn't want any reason to have to come back.

'You're not going anywhere!' Brendan thundered, slapping her across the face. Without thinking, Alex hit him in the leg with her walking stick. Hard. Brendan fell to the ground, screaming and holding his knee. Alex just shut her suitcase and stepped over the screaming man, making sure to whack him again with her stick.

'Goddamn jerk,' she told him before walking out and slamming the door behind her. All she left behind was the expensive wedding dress Brendan had paid for and a cracked kneecap.

Outside, Alex wasn't surprised to see a familiar figure leaning against a car.

'What did you do to him?' Hawkeye asked concernedly. 'I thought it might have been you screaming and was about to come inside to find out what was going on.'

'Nothing he didn't deserve,' Alex said, getting into the car. Hawkeye got into the driver's seat and pulled away from the house.

'I guess the wedding's off,' Hawkeye commented as they drove.

'You slipped the package into the letter box after the postman had been, didn't you?' Alex accused. Hawkeye shrugged.

'Might have,' he said.

'Don't lie,' Alex said. 'I gave you my first dog tags when I got discharged by Henry.' She looked at the package in her hand still. Now she realised what it said, she knew it hadn't been sent by Houvhiji Rjinei, but by Hawkeye Pierce. 'How did you get the around-the-world look?' she asked.

'I sent it to Korea first,' Hawkeye replied. He stopped at a set of red lights, and turned to face Alex. 'I hope I didn't over step the line by sending—' he started. Alex threw herself at him, kissing him hard on the lips and wrapping her arms around his neck, stopping him from continuing. He kissed her back after a startled moment, and they stayed like that for three changes of green lights. They would have been there longer, but the drivers behind them were getting angry.

'Thanks, Hawkeye,' Alex said as they drove off embarrassedly. 'You stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life.'

* * *

**_June, 1958_**

Alex still wasn't the same woman who'd gone off to Korea to save the world in 1950, but she was better than she was just a year before. Naomi didn't worry about her daughter these days, either. The man she lived with now, Hawkeye Pierce, he took good care of her, and seemed to change her for the better most days. Much better than Brendan Adler.

Danielle was happy to see Alex snap to her senses too, and spent many delightful hours sending nasty letters to Brendan. If you messed with one Dustin, you brought the wrath of the rest of them onto yourself. When Jefferson and Kellye and the other nurses heard of all that happened (including Margaret Houlihan), they started doing it as well. Brendan got up to twenty letters a week vividly describing the 'police action' in Korea, which they hoped would give him nightmares. It was easy to get him to read them. All they had to do was address it to Alex and he'd open and read anything.

Alex's arm seemed better these days. She rarely dropped anything, though she tended to carry things in her right hand now, just in case. Her limp, however, stayed strong. It was hard not to think about Isaac, though she was able to speak about him more easily.

Alex loved living at Crab Apple Cove. She was able to have a fresh start there, as no one knew her or her brother, whose sexuality had always caused the Dustin family problems. No one seemed to care that Hawkeye and Alex weren't married, and neither did Alex. She had known Hawkeye wasn't the commitment type, so it had surprised her when he had proposed six months ago, on Christmas morning, in front of her mother no less. She'd declined, knowing Hawkeye would love her just as much without getting married. Hawkeye, to say the least, was relieved.

The biggest change for Alex, though, was Henry. She had given birth to him August last year, a dead ringer to his deceased Uncle Isaac. Now, nearly a year old, Henry Isaac Dustin-Pierce was starting to say full words, much to Hawkeye's delight.

Alex listened to Hawkeye read to Henry in the living room. The book was "The Last of the Mohicans", of course, and although Henry probably didn't understand a work Hawkeye was saying, he seemed to enjoy hearing his father's voice.

Alex smiled as Hawkeye glanced up at her. He smiled back, then went back to reading to Henry. She was so lucky to finally have her "second chance". Few people could say they had been lucky enough to have theirs.

Hawkeye finally put Henry to bed, and came back out to the living room. He sat in the armchair, giving Alex a loving smile before closing his eyes.

'Hawkeye,' she said, finally picking up the courage. Hawkeye opened his blue eyes and looked at her quizzically. She laid a gentle hand over the slight bulge in her stomach that he hadn't seemed to have noticed. 'I'm pregnant again.' There was a stunned silence for a moment, as Hawkeye stared at her in disbelief. His face broke into a smile, and he went to sit with her on the couch. He picked up her hand and kissed it before resting their hands on her stomach again.

'And I thought life couldn't get any better,' he said to her.

* * *

**_-Sniffs_- Well, that's it. Finished. Conclusion. No more. Finale. Completed. Over. The End. I hope it pleased everyone.**

**Words in "Alex": 26920**

**Words in "Old Friends": 15402**

**Words in "Nurses": 46711**

**Words in total: 89024**

**Total number of chapters: 87**

**Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, too many to name and thank individually. Your comments meant everything to me, and kept me writing. **

**She was no Izzy Parker, but then again, Izzy Parker was no Alex Dustin.**

**-Guy walks past with a sign that says "The End" and waves goodbye-**


End file.
